How Birds Hide. 85 



leaves, it was extraordinary how perfect a protection 

 they were afforded. Even the most brightly coloured 

 birds were hidden in a thick mimosa bush or 

 acacia tree, and most of the shy birds seemed to recognise 

 this fact, and rather than fly away would retire into 

 the thickest part of a tree. Mouse birds or colies,^ for 

 instance, flew into a tree and disappeared as if by magic. 

 They have a sweet piping note, and often on hearing 

 this sound I used to creep under the tree from which 

 it came and watch these long-tailed parakeet-like birds 

 creeping and climbing as mice in and out amongst the 

 thickly-growing twigs and branches in the centre of the 

 tree. On catching sight of me looking up at them they 

 would give a hurried, rather gasping, pipe, and climb 

 with wonderful dexterity and swiftness towards the out- 

 side of the tree furthest away from danger. When all 

 had arrived on the edge they would fly away, softly 

 piping. 



Birds of the night are perhaps the cleverest at hiding 

 themselves. Once when strolling round a mid-day camp 

 to escape the groaning of the camels as they were being 

 loaded, I saw what appeared to be a broken piece of 

 bough in a very thick tree. I was struck by its rather 



•^ Coitus macriirus (Linn.). 



