13 EGYPTIAN BIRDS 



enormous areas of some of the best feeding-grounds 

 imaginable for water-fowl, and the fowl know it ; 

 nowhere can be seen more variety of duck, and 

 herons, and waders, and shore birds, than at Lake 

 Menzaleh. Elsewhere, I have already referred to 

 my visit in March and April to this little known 

 part of Egypt, and I wish that those who say this 

 is " a birdless land," would only go and stay a few 

 days at Kantara, Matariya, Damietta or Port Said, 

 and then see if they could still call it "birdless." The 

 extreme north and east side of the lake is separated 

 only from the Mediterranean by a narrow bank of 

 sand. Its waters are brackish, the Nile contributes 

 but little to its bulk, and the opinion is largely 

 held that if it could be made to contribute more, 

 the food supply for the fish in it would be consider- 

 ably increased, to the very great benefit of the fish 

 supply of the country. Every village and town on 

 the lake has many fishermen with boats out night and 

 day. They catch a very large quantity, but it is 

 said every year the size of the fish caught is steadily 

 decreasing, and to increase the food-supply for the 

 fish is now the aim of the authorities. This matter 

 does not immediately affect the birds, as they love 

 the small fry, but if Lake Menzaleh were to once 

 lose its value as a supplier of profitable fish food, 



