. Egyptian birds for the most part seen in the Nile valley . atching duck and any wildfowl that they can net,and the result is that, though years ago Flamingoesdid nest on the lake, now not one does. The form of the bill in the Flamingo alwayssuggests a man with a broken nose. The angularfall-back of the bill is nearly as singular as theupturned one of the Avocet. As the Flamingoobtains its insect and other food from the water,and the inside of its peculiar-shaped bill with THE FLAMINGO 167 which it has to obtain this food is provided witha tooth-like serrated margin Uke a ducks, it followstha
. Egyptian birds for the most part seen in the Nile valley . atching duck and any wildfowl that they can net,and the result is that, though years ago Flamingoesdid nest on the lake, now not one does. The form of the bill in the Flamingo alwayssuggests a man with a broken nose. The angularfall-back of the bill is nearly as singular as theupturned one of the Avocet. As the Flamingoobtains its insect and other food from the water,and the inside of its peculiar-shaped bill with THE FLAMINGO 167 which it has to obtain this food is provided witha tooth-like serrated margin Uke a ducks, it followsthat to get the water into its mouth it has to walkas shown in the illustration with its bill turned back-wards. This position I do not think is adopted byany other living bird, and is the one outstanding in-dividual peculiarity the Flamingo possesses. Whenseen thus feeding it is far from graceful; the longneck is straightened out, and the top of the head isto the front in the direction of which it is moving,and the bill is pointed backwards towards the Fig. 9. GREEN-BACKED GALLINULE Porphyrio Madagascariensis Arabic, Digmeh Whole plumage ultramarine blue shading into black, andon the back shading into bluish-green; white under-tail;frontal and bill blood-red, as are legs and feet; claws black;eye, deep crimson-brown. Total length, 18 inches. We have included this bird, as it is perhaps ashandsome as any in all Egypt, but it may bequestioned whether many of our readers will comeacross it, for it lives in dense reed beds which growin the large lakes of the Delta and Fayoom, andrarely quits them for the waters of the Nile. Ourown Waterhen, or Moorhen, is a sort of nearcousin of this bird, but whereas our bird alwaysgives the impression of being animated and cheery,this Egyptian Gallinule somehow looks depressedin spite of its brilliant plumage ; and when it walks,it does so with no indecent haste, but slowly liftsone leg whilst the long toes hang loosely, and thengently place
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidcu319240, booksubjectbirds
