Hunting Notes of a Bushman. ii 
log. A labba never voluntarily goes into a hole, 
either in the ground or in a log, that has not got 
a " back door" to it, that is, another hole through which 
it can escape. These back doors are carefully con- 
cealed, often being under a root, and in all cases are 
stopped with dried leaves, to resemble the other dried 
foliage on the ground. In dry weather labba are never 
far from the banks of a river or creek, but in the rainy sea- 
son they go further inland. They are hunted with dogs 
and killed in the water, or from a platform at night, like 
the maipoori. The labba has powerful jaws and often 
bites the dogs severely . The labba will dive and 
remain under water a considerable time, and when 
it comes up only puts its head above the surface 
against the bank or under a log or among fallen branches. 
Where there are long hollows with holes under the bank 
of the river or creek it is a waste of time to hunt them, 
as they cannot be got at in such places. At the heads 
of creeks where mora-roots overhang the water they 
escape in a similar manner. 
If the labba when far from water is closely followed 
by the dog it sometimes rushes into a hollow log or into 
a hole in the ground. In the first case, after making 
sure that the labba is really in the log and has not 
merely passed through, all holes in the log must be care- 
fully and securely stopped with pieces of wood, one 
only, whichever may be most convenient, being left 
partially open so that a rod or a piece of bush rope may 
be passed in, to feel for the animal. The twigs on the 
end of the rod should be bent back and splintered, or 
the end of the bush-rope should be knotted and pound- 
ed ; this is in order that the end so prepared, touching 
B3 
