25



Some Notes on a few Egyptian Desert Birds.


least an inch in length, its head is feathered, and it has long

feathers on its neck.


It is a strange sight to see in the lonely desert one of these

raven and vulture orgies! A party of wandering Arabs or

travelling merchants, with their strings of laden camels may be

seen slowly tramping over the hot dazzling sand, following the

narrow paths, like sheep-tracks on the Downs, worn smooth and

hard by the ‘pad-pad’ of camels’ feet, which for thousands of

years have passed and re-passed the same way. One of the

patient ‘ships of the desert’ is faint and weary with the weight

of his load and long years of toil. In vain his driver encourages

him with weird noises and snatches of strange song, such as

camels love ; the poor creature at last falls, to rise no more. His

load is taken off, and, with much grumbling and grunting, is

dispersed among the other beasts of burden, and the caravan

passes on. He is left alone in the desert to die ! the last straggler

of the company is scarcely out of sight before his weary limbs

are stretched in death.


All this time, far overhead a tiny speck may have been

seen hovering and wheeling in the pale blue sky; it is the

vulture’s ‘watchman.’ The moment the last breath is drawn,

as if in answer to some given signal, from every side flock the

vultures, more and more they come streaming in,seemingly from

nowhere, and in crowds they pounce upon the still warm carcase,

and soon nothing is seen but a great mass of flapping wings and

straining necks, and cruel, blood-smeared beaks and claws! In

an incredibly short time the white bones alone are left to add one

more land-mark to the ‘desert route.’ The vultures sit near by

complaisant and fat, too gorged to fly, or even move more than a

few yards from the scene of their horrid banquet. The Ravens,

who have done their best to obtain a share, linger to get what

pickings they can, till they too are satisfied, and then flop

heavily back to their homes in the rocks.


Kites, Buzzards, Hawks and Harriers of several varieties

may be found in the desert, but, as a rule, they frequent that

portion of it which is nearest the cultivated land, and find their

food to a great extent on the river banks. We did not meet with

many, more than a days march into the wilderness.



