80 THE CENTRAL AFRICAN STONE-CURLEW 
and one is struck with the beautiful way in which the buff colour 
of the bird matches its surroundings although the bird sits 
straight up and does not appear to let its head sink down on 
to its body as if wearied. Any stray passing insects are quickly 
snapped up as she sits on as if pleased at posing before the 
camera. 
So absorbed is one in the entrancing study that one forgets 
the surroundings till a curious scraping noise and a feeling of 
weight startles one, and, cautiously looking round, one is horri- 
fied to see the ugly snout of a loathsome crocodile scarcely five 
feet away. The creature had evidently just left the lake, and 
not noticing the presence of a human being was intent on 
crossing the sandy beach and entering the stream near which 
doubtless it had its nest. To do this it had to cross over the 
part under which the writer’s feet were buried, hence the 
feeling of weight. One’s feelings can scarcely be imagined and 
one’s blood seems to run cold as the reptile serenely continued 
its way to the stream. One’s first thought was for the revolver, 
always carried handily in this crocodile-infested region, more 
for the sake of scaring the beasts than doing any damage. 
A rapid shot at the reptile almost within reach of the out- 
stretched arm, a hurried struggle across the sand and the 
reptile plunged into the stream while the photographer leapt 
hurriedly up, thankful for nothing worse than a thorough 
fright. No more thoughts of photos, so one removed one egg 
as a specimen (it has always been my practice not to take a 
whole clutch if the bird has been good enough to allow one to 
get photos, and then only if it is a new specimen, as mere 
‘ collecting ’ cannot be too strongly deprecated). 
On subsequent occasions one often passed the spot and could 
see the bird still faithfully performing its task, till one day we 
were fortunate enough to find the young one recently hatched 
out, and looking not unlike a young curlew, as at home, in its 
markings, but it was too nimble to allow one to take its picture. 
The natives have apparently no name for this bird though 
it is fairly common in this part. I questioned, in vain, numbers 
of the folk who used to fish this part regularly. It was a lake- 
shore bird, they said, and that apparently was the extent of their 
knowledge. 
