150 EGYPTIAN BIRDS 



swampy ground, or short grass flooded with an 

 inch or two of water, inside the fringe of papyrus, 

 or "um suf" sudd which separates the channel of 

 the Bahr-el-Ghazal from the plains. I never saw 

 the bird actually wading in water. Its food 

 consists principally of Polypterus senegalus, which 

 wanders a great deal into flooded grass-land. 

 Sometimes the bird will perch on the top of a tree, 

 but trees are scarce in its haunts. Its flight is 

 heavy, but powerful ; the neck is drawn back like 

 a Heron's. " It seems to be rather a quarrelsome 

 bird ; on its first arrival at Khartoum, it seized 

 a fox terrier which approached it so sharply that 

 the dog fairly yelled." Some of its habits are as 

 peculiar as its appearance, for, later on, Mr. Butler 

 tells us, " They have a curious trick of repeatedly 

 bringing up their food before finally swallowing it. 

 This often results in the disgorged fishes being 

 snatched up by Kites " ; and every visitor to the 

 Giza Gardens must have noticed its curious habit 

 of rattling its bill as it alternately lifts and lowers 

 its head as a sort of welcome to its keeper. When 

 it stands thus with its head lowered, its bill clatter- 

 ing, and its neck slightly swollen and held straight 

 as a stick, it is about the most curious -looking 

 bird possible. At the date of writing, I believe 



