Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 1 (1843).djvu/177

so completely exhausted as to be unable to fly again. I should be obliged by the opinion of any of your correspondents, as to whether this bird was on its way to or from the continent? Is it possible that having taken a long flight overland, it was resting here before crossing the channel; or did its extreme state of exhaustion proceed from having crossed? I believe many of these rails arrive in the autumn, and remain during the winter; and I have known but a solitary instance of the bird breeding in this country, which occurred at Ocford pond, near Godalming.—Waring Kidd; Brighton, March 31, 1843.

 

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Anecdote of the capture of a Cayman.—

"I now took the mast of the canoe in my hand (the sail being tied round the end of the mast), and sunk down upon one knee, about four yards from the water's edge, determining to thrust it down his throat, in case he gave me an opportunity. I certainly felt somewhat uncomfortable in this situation, and I thought of Cerberus on the other side of the Styx ferry. The people pulled the cayman to the surface; he plunged furiously as soon as he arrived in these upper regions, and immediately went below again on their slackening the rope. I saw enough not to fall in love at first sight. I now told them we would run all risks, and have him on land immediately. They pulled again and out he came—" Monstrum horrendum, informe." This was an interesting moment. I kept my position firmly, with my eye fixed steadfast on him. By the time the cayman was within two yards of me, I saw he was in a state of fear and perturbation; I instantly dropped the mast, sprung up, and jumped on his back, turning half round as I vaulted, so that I gained my seat with my face in a right position. I immediately seized his fore legs, and, by main force, twisted them on his back; thus they served me for a bridle. He now seemed to have recovered from his surprize, and probably fancying himself in hostile company, he began to plunge furiously, and lashed the sand with his long and powerful tail. I was out of reach of the strokes of it, by being near his head. He continued to plunge and strike, and made my seat very uncomfortable. It must have been a fine sight for an unoccupied spectator.

"The people roared out in triumph, and were so vociferous that it was some time before they heard me tell them to pull me and my beast of burden farther in land. I was apprehensive the rope might break, and then there would have been every chance of going down to the regions under water with the cayman. That would have been more perilous than Arion's marine morning ride: —

"'Delphini insidens vada caerula sulcat Arion.'

"The people now dragged us above forty yards on the sand: it was the first and last time I was ever on a cayman's back. Should it be asked, how I managed to keep my seat, I would answer,—I hunted some years with Lord Darlington's fox-hounds. After repeated attempts to regain his liberty, the cayman gave in, and became tranquil through exhaustion. I now managed to tie up his jaws, and firmly secured his fore feet in the position I had held them. We had now another severe struggle for superiority, but he was soon overcome, and again remained quiet. While some of the people were pressing upon his head and shoulders, I threw myself on his tail, and by keeping