. Egyptian birds for the most part seen in the Nile valley . is not beloved ofthe people, as they accuse it of eating too manyof their young fish. Visitors who do not like theirmuddy Nile fish do not see any great offence inthis, but I can quite see the matter from thenatives point of view, and am a little astonishedthat it has been allowed to increase and multiplyas it has. Last year, each evening, something likethirty used to roost on the chain cable of dahabeah, moored just opposite they all came from was something of amystery, as, though you would see one now andagain
. Egyptian birds for the most part seen in the Nile valley . is not beloved ofthe people, as they accuse it of eating too manyof their young fish. Visitors who do not like theirmuddy Nile fish do not see any great offence inthis, but I can quite see the matter from thenatives point of view, and am a little astonishedthat it has been allowed to increase and multiplyas it has. Last year, each evening, something likethirty used to roost on the chain cable of dahabeah, moored just opposite they all came from was something of amystery, as, though you would see one now andagain on that reach of river, you would neverbe able to see anything like that number; yetevery evening in they used to come, and after arather excited noisy discussion settled down toroost for the night. A most interesting thing in this bird is itssingular habit of hanging in mid-air, above thewater, on the look-out for fish. Although Ihave said fish, it is certain it must take othercreatures than fish, for I have often seen it, not BLACK AND WHITE BLACK AND WHITE KINGFISHER 53 only hovering over the Sacred Lake at Karnak,but also plunging head foremost down into itswaters, and securing some food or other, withwhich it has at once flown away to some con-venient perch and there swallowed it. Now thereare no fish in the Karnak Lake, and it is clearthat what the Kingfisher goes for must be somevariety of its ordinary fishy food, and must be somelarvae or fine fat water-beetle. When hangingthus in mid-air it reminds me a little of ourown Windhover or Kestrel, in its quick clappingstroke of wings, whilst its body and tail hangnearly perpendicularly down, till it sees whatit wants; then the position of its body alters ina flash, and down it plunges, and is lost for amoment in the splash and spray that it raises bythe impact with the water. THE LITTLE GREEN BEE-EATER Merops viridis The plumage throughout is green, with a black eye-stripeand a black marking in front on chest;
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Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidcu319240, booksubjectbirds
