. Egyptian birds for the most part seen in the Nile Valley . steamers have less chance, as I haveoften noticed when my boat has been moored tothe bank that on the approach of these monsterspouring out their black clouds of smoke, everybird, great and small, hurries off in disgust if notin absolute alarm. The Avocet is not a permanentresident in Egypt, but comes from a northernhome to winter here. It is entirely dependent onthe water for its food, obtaining therefrom endlessminute specks of life by means of its bill, movedfrom side to side on the top, or just under the sur-face of the muddy poo
. Egyptian birds for the most part seen in the Nile Valley . steamers have less chance, as I haveoften noticed when my boat has been moored tothe bank that on the approach of these monsterspouring out their black clouds of smoke, everybird, great and small, hurries off in disgust if notin absolute alarm. The Avocet is not a permanentresident in Egypt, but comes from a northernhome to winter here. It is entirely dependent onthe water for its food, obtaining therefrom endlessminute specks of life by means of its bill, movedfrom side to side on the top, or just under the sur-face of the muddy pools. When at Lake Menza-leh in March and April I saw great flocks of manyhundreds just near the last sandbank that separatesthe lake from the Mediterranean, and Mr. M. has seen it there in January. They areweb-footed, a peculiarity that they share withthe Flamingo, another very long - legged wadingbird, but whereas the latter is really in form ratheran ugly, ungainly bird, the Avocet is peculiarlyelegant and graceful in all its movements. N AVOCET. THE SACRED IBIS Ibis aethiopica General plumage white; a mass of almost hair-likefeathers falls over the wings and tail—these feathers are arich metallic black with deep blue reflections; head andneck bare of all feathers, showing black wrinkled skin ; beakand legs black; eyes brown. Length, 28 inches. This is one of the birds the selection of which Ifully expect to get criticism on. But I have chosenit for two reasons that, I think, justify its first is, that from one cause or another theSacred Ibis is a bird so wrapped up with all ourideas of Egypt, and almost representative of thebirds of Egypt, that most, although they do notknow the bird, are interested in its second is one that follows this known interest,namely, the exposing of the dragomans oft-repeatedimpudent lie, that he can, and does, show the new-comer Sacred Ibises, whereas he does not andcannot. Why, exactly, this bird was treated
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpubli, booksubjectbirdsegypt
