. Egyptian birds for the most part seen in the Nile valley . arts white ;the tail long, and two centre feathers very narrow and longerthan the rest; beak slate-grey; legs black; eyes female is a plain, mottled brown bird, tail pointed butnot so long as the drake. Entire length, 23 inches. At different times of the year different birdscome in gigantic flocks. Thus at one time, owingto the vast migration of these Pintail-Ducks, itmight well be said they were far and away thecommonest; but a little later you hardly see one,and wherever you go it is the Shoveller Duck thatis met with, wh
. Egyptian birds for the most part seen in the Nile valley . arts white ;the tail long, and two centre feathers very narrow and longerthan the rest; beak slate-grey; legs black; eyes female is a plain, mottled brown bird, tail pointed butnot so long as the drake. Entire length, 23 inches. At different times of the year different birdscome in gigantic flocks. Thus at one time, owingto the vast migration of these Pintail-Ducks, itmight well be said they were far and away thecommonest; but a little later you hardly see one,and wherever you go it is the Shoveller Duck thatis met with, whilst at another time it would bethe Teal, or the Pochard. So that to settle thepoint exactly—What is the commonest duck of thecountry ?—is not altogether an easy one, and I donot intend to speak dogmatically; but I have placedthis duck first on the list, because not only do youmeet with it in enormous numbers, but you alsosee it represented more frequently on the walls oftemples and tombs. The well-known hieroglyph 178 PINTAIL, TEAL, AND SHOVELLER DUCK. i^: ^^ifeSfeSfMiii^:.-; PINTAIL-DUCK 1119 of a duck under a circle, which is translated as theSon of the Sun, was doubtless meant to representthis particular bird. Very often—not always—where the workmanship is of the finest and of a goodperiod, the characteristics are exact, and the longpintail feathers are most plainly shown. Now, noduck that comes to this country has a long tail,other than the Pintail, therefore there can be noquestion that these old-time artists, for some reasonbest known to themselves, selected from all thevarious ducks they have, just this particular oneto symbolize this royal conception. It is alsoshown on many wall-paintings in the tombs, flyingwith the tail spread, and the two long centralfeathers well marked. Going up the Nile some-times you pass great high bare sandbanks whichhave on the other side of them long narrow stripsof shallow pools; here, at certain times, is theplace to see duck
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidcu319240, booksubjectbirds
