180 EGYPTIAN BIRDS 



they always have sentinels well posted up and 

 down the reach of water, and a warnhig quack 

 and all heads are up on a flash ; and if the quack 

 has had a certain intonation they are all up and 

 away at once. Then it is, if you are shooting, 

 that you may, if you keep quiet, get a shot as 

 they return sweeping down and round the water, 

 which they will not completely leave unless very 

 frightened. I have looked on to pools of this sort 

 which have been absolutely black with birds, and 

 amongst the whole, nine-tenths would be Pin- 

 tail. Later it might be, at that same pool, all 

 would be Shovellers or Pochard. The Pintail is 

 what is known as a surface-feeding duck, and is 

 placed near the common Wild Duck, the Mallard of 

 English waters. It is distinctly peculiar in form ; 

 the neck is long, and when alarmed the head is 

 held high, and the whole neck looks very thin. 

 These characters, as well as the long pintail, are 

 well shown at Deir-el-Bahari and other temples, 

 where the wall-painting is of a really good period, 

 and from the frequency of its pictures one can 

 only suppose that it was as common all those 

 years ago as it is to-day. The Zoological Gardens 

 at Cairo are visited nearly every winter by a few 

 Pintails. They feed on grass and water-weeds, and 



