MIMICRY. 123 



"an Haliastur sphenurus, with its female, and a young one 

 already able to fly, were perched on the branch of a tree, 

 interested at this novel method of fishing, and not in the least 

 alarmed by the detonation. When I had finished, the male and 

 female picked up the little fishes which I left, and took them to 

 their young one."* Eimer, when staying in the Dutch island of 

 Rottum, in West Friesland, found the Water-Rail (Rallus aquati- 

 cus), " which is usually so shy, ran about close to me in the 

 ditches so fearlessly that I could almost have caught it with my 

 hands. This island is let by the Dutch Government to an egg- 

 bailiff, whose duty consists in collecting birds' eggs, and therefore 

 no bird is allowed to be hunted there ; it is especially forbidden 

 to shoot at them." t 



On the other hand, wild animals have chosen to seek the pro- 

 tection of man when pursued by their enemies. The African 

 traveller Anderson once had a Blesbok take refuge at his 

 camp-fire when pursued by Wild Dogs. He also states : — " I 

 have known small birds fly to my waggon and into it, on 

 several occasions, when pursued by Hawks." J Andrew Steed- 

 man once witnessed a herd of Gnus pursued by a Lion. 

 " The affrighted animals seemed to seek the vicinity of our 

 waggon as a protection from their formidable enemy." § A 

 lady, describing a great grass and forest fire which took place 

 in South Africa in February, 1869, writes : " The poor Hares 

 and Wild Bucks came to the houses for protection from the 

 flames." |] Another narrator elsewhere states: "Wild Bucks 

 from the surrounding bush came and crouched about, terror- 

 stricken, and one, half scorched to death, took refuge on the 

 stoop of the building."1T Col. Ward, describing the " hawking" 

 of Jackdaws in the Peshawur Valley, says that a Jackdaw, when 

 closely pressed, " would make straight for the nearest human 

 beings he saw, fly round the men, under the horses' girths, into 

 a dog-cart or buggy, if there was one, and do his utmost to dodge 

 his pursuer, often causing a regular stampede among the horses, 



* ' New Guinea,' vol. ii. p. 329. 



f ' Organic Evolution,' Engl, transl. p. 227. 



I ' Twenty-five Years in a Waggon,' pp. 88-9. 



§ ' Wanderings and Adventures in Int. S. Africa,' vol. i. p. 154. 



|| Quoted by J. Croumbie Brown, ' Hydrology of S. Africa,' p. 184. 



If Ibid. p. 186, 



