A\"ith riashllo-ht and Rifle -^ 



at the same spot. Noiselessly the strange umbretta [Scopus 

 muhretta) makes its appearance. It never fails to put in 

 an appearance at every large pool or clrinking-placc. This 

 bird builds its extraordinarily large nest, composed of 

 three compartments, always tairly close to the water, in 

 the torkdike branches ot an acacia. Here it lavs three 

 white eggs. We were constantly coming across this bird 

 by the pools and lakes and river-sides as we journeyed. 

 AlthouL>h we once robbed a bird of two e"'>'s it did not 

 seem inclined to forsake its nest. Sometimes it fhes up 

 from almost beneath one's feet to find its wav in a 

 crouching attitude to some gnarled liranch in the \icinitv of 

 the water, reminding one of the night-heron in its manner. 



Single specimens of the Egyptian goose {C/iciialopex 

 (Cgyptiacus) are to be seen scattered about in every 

 direction. Vultures and marabous keep to special resorts 

 of their own. 



Here and there we saw marvellously coloured shrikes, 

 and amongst them the great grey shrike {Dryoscopns 

 funchi's), in large numbers. Idiese birds associate and 

 sing in pairs. The male will begin a harmonious note, to 

 be answered so exactly b) his spouse that it gives the 

 imj)ression of one l)ird singing. d he song of these 

 beautiful l)irds sounds like the chiming of glass Ix-lls 

 among the thick river-side growth ; wlhlo from the summit 

 of an acacia-tree comes the quainth' jubilant note of the 

 shrike-like tschagra {7\/ip/i0ii/is sc'iic\oa/ns) d\x)-ri-a\', 

 I'oo-ri-ay, d oo-ri-av ! 



d he imi)alla antelopes [^ Jipyccros iuclai)ipiti) are 

 almost the onl\ mammals that \isit the water during 



'-M 



