THE FLAMINGO 163 



H.H. the Khedive being informed of my 

 desire to visit the Flamingo at its home in Lake 

 INIenzaleh, exceedingly kindly granted me special 

 facilities, and I was able to go from end to end of 

 this great lake and from side to side, visiting every 

 place where they were to be found. I was allowed 

 the use of one of the coastguard dahabeahs. 

 These boats are built on the lines of the native 

 fishing-boats ; being practically flat-bottomed they 

 draw but little water, which is necessary, as the 

 lake for its size is very shallow. It is this 

 shallowness which makes Menzaleh such a happy 

 hunting-ground for all water-birds. It fairly teems 

 with birds ; in February there are literally millions 

 of Duck there, with Cormorants, Pelicans, Herons, 

 Flamingoes, and Waders of every sort. In March 

 they lessen in numbers, many only using it as 

 a place to spend a few weeks at before going 

 north to their summer homes, and by the time 

 April comes there are not an overwhelming 

 number ; but the Flamingoes keep there as a 

 feeding-ground nearly all the year round, and it 

 was to see if they had their nesting-quarters there 

 that I went to Menzaleh early this year, 1909. 



You cannot be long on the lake before you 

 begin to understand why birds love it so, for as 



