CATCHING BUTTERFLIES 
23 
shikari is one who keeps his mouth shut, but his eyes 
always open. On flat ground there is only one steady 
shooting position— sit down and rest both elbows on your 
knees. To kneel on one knee is evidently wrong, as one 
can then only rest the left elbow, the right having no rest 
whatever. ^ : 
- I found it best, when going out collecting insects, always 
to take a man out with a shot-gun, not, however, for the 
purpose of shooting butterflies — although this has often 
been done to bring them down when hovering over high 
trees — but in order to be ready for the birds which are 
always about when there are many butterflies on the wingo 
The gunbearer must not be allowed to follow you too 
closely, or he will Invariably get in the way of your sweep 
with the net. When I missed a butterfly, my shikari 
always tried to catch it in his hands, or, failing that, would 
knock it down with my gun. It is needless to add that 
specimens secured by him were not exactly perfect. My 
gunbearers had a bad and dangerous practice of walking 
in front of my pony with my two rifles and gun pointing 
straight at my head, and all at full cock. I had constantly 
“to dismount and show them what I wanted done. After 
dinner, when writing up my diary, I always kept a killing 
bottle- by my side in which I used to bottle the numerous 
beetles, moths, and insects generally which invaded my 
tent, attracted by the light from my lantern. 
One day, when going through fairly thick jungle, we all 
but walked into an old bull oryx, which was lying in the 
grass. He jumped up and, with a whisk of his tail and a 
turn of his huge frame, cantered off before I could get a 
shot at him. 
In the evening a terrific thunderstorm, accompanied by 
torrents of rain, suddenly burst upon us, and before I could 
say ‘ Knife !’ a small river was running Into my tent, swamp- 
ing everything. I shouted for the men, and, rushing out, 
made a ditch round the tent, which effectively drained off 
the water. All the men, with the exception of a few who 
