378 Mr. A. L. Butler on the 



found numerous large water-birds gathered together at the 

 pools in the little khor, and among these the Hammerhead 

 was common. Other birds noticed at the same time were 

 Sacred Ibises, Wood -Ibises, Little Cormorants, and Green 

 Bitterns. 



This bird is common along the Upper White Nile and 

 Bahr-el-Ghazal. On the latter river I found an empty 

 nest in March 1932 — a great domed mass of sticks with the 

 entrance at the side. 



244. Ciconia alba Bechst. 



The White Stork is a common winter migrant. It 

 usually disappears by the end of April, but in 1901 I saw 

 considerable numbers on the Blue Nile from June 18th 

 to 22nd. 



245. Ciconia nigra (Linn.). 



Also a cold-weather visitor, but very much scarcer than 

 the last. 



246. Ciconia abdimii Licht. 



This handsome little Stork is resident in the Soudan, but 

 its numbers are immensely increased in the spring. At 

 that season it migrates for breeding-purposes to parts of the 

 country from which it is entirely absent in the cold months. 

 It has all the domestic habits of the Common Stork while 

 breeding, and flocks to native villages to build its nests on 

 the tops of the straw-thatched conical huts or " tukls." 



I passed the month of April ] 901 at Gedaref with the 

 late Col. Collinson. During that month we never saw any 

 of these Storks in the district. Col. Collinson told me that 

 they arrived in great numbers every year about May 6th, 

 and set to work at building their nests at once. We 

 left together for Gallabat on May 2nd, and on our return 

 on the 13th Gedaref was crowded with these Storks, which 

 were building on nearly every "tukl." 



The few trees in the town were also crowded with nests. 



In their breeding-quarters the birds were extremely tame, 

 taking no notice of people within a few feet of them, but 



