158 BIRDS 



seen one actually feeding, but presumably it catches fish 

 and frogs like other herons. 



Several other species are to be seen. A grey one is 

 known as " Sekanyolya " {Ardea melanocephala), but I 

 have nothing to say about them. 



An extremely beautiful but seldom seen species was 

 noted in 1918 on rocks off Damba Island, a locality that 

 has been alluded to before. There were seen, among many 

 other birds, half a dozen great white herons (Herodias 

 alba), collected on one small low rock, their pure white 

 plumage and graceful build arousing intense admiration. 

 Subsequently, some were seen on other islands, but they 

 are by no means abundant, and the natives have no 

 name for them other than " Enyange nene," i.e. large 

 egrets. 



But the Egret {Egretta garzetta) is more slender, smaller, 

 and has a black bill and legs. It is quite common on the 

 islands, and may constantly be seen paddling at the edge 

 of the water on the beach or on flat rocks where the waves 

 are breaking, picking up small fish from the water, or 

 investigating small pools for frogs, its pure white plumage 

 making it very conspicuous. 



Although they usually fish by themselves, egrets may 

 often be seen at sunset in small flocks wending their way 

 home, flying slowly over the surface of the blue water 

 with hoarse croaks. 



They nest in much the same situations as are chosen 

 by darters and cormorants, namely, ambatch trees growing 

 in shallow water. In January 1919 I found some young 

 almost ready to leave the nests. 



A bird that is often mistaken for the true egret is 

 the white buff-backed heron [Bubulcus ibis), which is 

 extremely abundant at Jinja or Entebbe, where flocks 

 may be seen in attendance on cattle, ready to pounce on 

 the grasshoppers and other prey disturbed by the move- 

 ments of the grazing beasts. But they are not so slenderly 



