148 BIRDS 



follow-my-leader, but I have never seen this trick played 

 anywhere else. 



Occasionally a single bird winging its way home utters 

 a rhythmic croak at intervals, strongly suggesting a man 

 loudly panting for breath. They are not exactly songsters ; 

 their noises are more of the nature of quackings than 

 anything else. Except for the trick above mentioned one 

 does not see much sign of the joie de vivre in cormorants ; 

 they seem to find life a serious business, and have to work 

 hard for a living. When resting, and possibly digesting, 

 on the branches of their favourite trees, they often spread 

 their wings out on each side of the body, as if they felt 

 the heat, or were holding them out to dry, although so 

 oily are their feathers that they cannot really get wet. 

 It always amused the canoe-men, when we were going 

 along, to see one of these birds suddenly appear on the 

 surface, often with a wriggling fish in its beak, hastily 

 look round, and either dive again or take to flight. Being 

 heavy birds, they have to paddle their feet along the 

 surface for some distance before their wings have developed 

 enough momentum to lift them up. 



Closely allied to the cormorants, and grouped with 

 them by the natives under the name " Ensogwe," are the 

 snaky-necked Darters (Anhinga rufa), often erroneously 

 called Divers, which name belongs properly to the 

 marine Colymbi. 



These are not nearly so abundant as the cormorants, 

 from which they are easily distinguished by the much 

 smaller head and very long slender neck, bent upon itself 

 with a curious kink. Like the cormorants, these birds 

 take life very seriously, and are equally unattractive, 

 though their quaintness is interesting. They are certainly 

 most efficient water birds and fly well, but are ungraceful 

 and malodorous — at any rate in quantity. They are, 

 however, of somewhat less dingy plumage, and in the 

 breeding season become almost brightly coloured with 

 yellowish and brown tints. 



