With I'la^hli-lU and Kilie >. 



of th(- European floatini,^ plant Potanwyeton, first dis- 

 covered 1)\- myself in (jcrman {'.ast Africa ; fut onl\- the 

 seed-pods are to he seen, hard) p(-rcc];tihle ahove the 

 surface. Often I and my me^n wandered for miles over 

 this world ot water, seeinu^ \vherev(T w(; lo()k<-d the 

 hcautiful 'jrcAxX. white ei^ret, th': Mack-and-white sacred 

 ihises, hlack-hc^adcd weaver-hirds, th(; small white mire- 

 drums, and hundreds and thousands (jf I'^L^yptian i^eese 

 and i^reat hlack-an(Uu hite sptirred-geese ; while in the 

 far distance flocks of heautilul llamingoes flashed aljout 

 on the hanks 



\ he duck known as Nyrocii capcusis, many other kintls 

 of ducks, beautiful whydah-hirds, watcrhens, grebes, long- 

 leiL;_L(ed jdcjvers [ / / iiiimilopits uniianlopui-) and countless 

 other kinds of birds mo\c(l about b(-lore our eves, 

 while every now and again some sph-ndid \'ociferous 

 sea-eagle would swing past above us, emitting its shrill 

 whistle. On the banks plovers llew hither arid thither — 

 stragglers perhaps from flocks of these winter guests 

 from the far North ; while the white-winged black 

 tern {IJydrochcluloit /ciuoplcra) swo;)pe(l down upon the 

 water. 



Now, howcn-er, our ga/e is arrctstfxl l)\' the sight of a 

 bird which is not often seen, and to which our presence- 

 is a matte-r of \er\' keen Jinxiety. This is the bc^autilul 

 avocet, black and white ( l\Ciiirvn-ostra iwocctlaY a lard 

 which used once to nest on the (brman se,i-coast, but 

 is now to be seen thei^e no more. 1 his is th(; first 

 time I have found it breeding in Oerman I'.ast Africa. 

 It has brought up its \oung up'on these salt and alkaliiKt 



9S 



