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The birds here are seen in clusters of from a pair to perhaps one 
hundred together, mostly in the water, and when disturbed will fly 
low over its surface, and settle at no great distance ; but if frightened 
and fired at, they rise in flocks high in the air, and, after hovering 
and wheeling around, will settle on the highest trees, and as long as 
their disturbers are near will not return to the water. Their roosting- 
place at night is, to the best of my belief, on the ground. Their 
food principally is fish and water-snakes, which they have been seen 
by my men to catch and devour. They will also feed on the intes- 
tines of dead animals, the carcases of which they easily rip open 
with the strong hook of the upper bill. The breeding-time of the 
Baleniceps is in the rainy season, during the months of July and 
August, and the spot chosen is in the reeds or high grass imme- 
diately on the water’s edge, or on some small elevated and dry spots 
entirely surrounded by water. The birds before laying scrape a hole 
in the earth, in which, without any lining of grass or feathers, the 
female deposits her eggs. As many as a dozen eggs have been found 
in the same nest. Numbers of these nests have been robbed by my 
men of both eggs and young, but the young birds so taken have in- 
variably died. After repeated unsuccessful attempts to rear them 
and more trouble than you can imagine, after two years’ perseverance 
I at last succeeded in hatching some eggs under hens, which, at a con- 
siderable distance from Gaba Shamby], I procured from the Raik ne- 
groes. As soon as | got the hens to lay, and in due time to sit, by 
replacing several of their eggs with half the number of those of the 
Baleniceps, as fresh as possible from the nest, the locality of which 
was previously known, I eventually succeeded in hatching several 
birds. These ran about the premises of my camp, and, to the 
great discomfort of the poor hens, would persist in performing all 
sorts of unchicken-like manceuvres with their large beaks and ex- 
tended wings in a small artificial pool constantly supplied with water 
by several negresses retained in my service for their especial benefit. 
Negro boys of the tribe (the Raik) were also employed to supply 
their little pond with live fish, upon which, and occasionally the 
intestines of animals killed for our use, chopped into small pieces, 
they were reared. 
As may be supposed, the birds became the pets of my “ Bizouks,”’ 
as 1 frequently called my Khartoumers ; and as they grew up, with 
extended wings and a rattle-like noise produced by the snapping of 
their bills, they would follow them round the large enclosure of my 
camp. 
Tips their journey to England, six months’ confinement in a cage 
has greatly affected their health, and I dare say soured their tempers ; 
at least, such to a certainty would be the effects on myself if placed 
in a similar predicament. But, in common with, I venture to say, 
every one connected with the Society, I trust that my attention and 
trouble, to say nothing of the expense which I have been put to, 
although perhaps a more important feature than most of you may 
be aware of,—may be rewarded by their recovery and well-being ; and 
I hope if, as there will be no difficulty on my part, they become the 
