8 9



on Birds and Nesls in Uganda.



taking a midnight flight, where to I cannot say, returning with a

clatter on the iron roof a few minutes later. Although, as I

pointed out above, au ornament to one’s garden, he was a bad

gardener, treading down my choicest flowers as he stamped about

to drive out any insects which might be taking refuge among the

foliage. These birds nest in swamps, beating down the long

grass and making a platform of it just clear of the water. On

the 6th of October, 1906, I found a nest in just such a position at

Masindi, containing two large eggs of a dirty greenish-white

blotched all over with brown. The water in the swamp was not

more than six inches deep.


Marabou Storks make nice pets when they become tame.

I cannot call them handsome, but they are certainly entertaining.

One I had was a wonderful catch, and if a piece of meat was

thrown to him in any direction, and as hard as possible, as long

as it was within his reach he would catch it nine times out

of ten. One favourite game he had was to pick up a piece of

stick or rag and throw it up in the air, dancing round it with

outstretched wings and catching it again. When in the mood

he would play like this for a long time. Although he was near

my house all day long he would always fly off in the evening and

roost on the highest tree he could find about lialf-a-mile away.

One day he never returned and, probably, went off with a

mate.


On January 2nd, 1905, I was walking through some long

grass at Entebbe when my boy, who was following me, noticed a

nest on the ground : it was oval in shape, composed of grass with

a hole in the side, and was built right on the ground among

the grass stems. I waited to see the bird return, and before

long was able to identify it as Heuglin’s Pale Waxbill (Estrilda

paludicola). I should have thought the ground would have been

the worst possible site for a nest as snakes must be their worst

enemies.


While walking through a thicket at Masindi 011 December

27th, 1905, I heard a young bird chirping but could see no signs

of it until I traced the sound to what looked like a bunch of

dried grass which had been caught amongst some hanging

creepers. The ‘ bunch’ turned out to be a nest of Emin’s Bush



