Bird Notes from the Nile. 15 



The nest of the pelican is made of 

 coarse rushes and coarse grass, and lined 

 with line grass. It lays two white eggs. 

 The parent birds convey food to their 

 offspring in their curious pouches ; these 

 pouches are so elastic that an angry 

 pelican can easily catch a man's head in 

 it. This I know to be true, for it was 

 done by our own pet pelican when it 

 was in a rage to the keeper who was 

 feeding it ! 



Above Omdurman, on the White Nile, 

 there were thousands of pelicans, and 

 many other birds rare further north. 

 In this locality is said to be found the 

 Sacred Ibis, with snow-white plumage, and 

 curious iridescent black tail, and almost 

 bare black neck ; but we did not see one. 



The Spoonbills we often saw, slowly 

 pacing the sand banks with solemn, high- 

 stepping gait, or standing gazing into 

 some calm little pool or backwater. 

 Spoonbills build in colonies in trees, and 

 make their nests roughly of dry grass and 

 sticks. They lay two to four eggs, which 

 are dull white, and spotted with reddish 

 colour and grey. 



