20 Bird Notes from the Nile. 



beautiful fellow with a white face and pure 

 white waistcoat, and orange beak and legs. 



I think among the ducks we saw 

 more Pochards, Shovellers and Common 

 Mallard than any others, but there were 

 also Gadwall, Pintail, Sheldrake, Ruddy- 

 Sheldrake, and White-headed Duck, the 

 " Ferruginous Duck," something like a 

 very small Pochard with a red-brown 

 chest, and many other rare varieties. 



On the beautifully-painted ceiling of the 

 tomb of Ka-Gemu before-mentioned, the 

 common Mallard, Pochard, Pintail and 

 Gadwall may be easily recognised. 



Common Coots are rarely seen, except 

 in the Delta, the Crested Coot is found 

 occasionally on the Nile, but we looked 

 for this rare bird in vain. 



Among remarkable water-birds is the 

 *' Purple Gallinule," a species of Coot, with 

 exquisite plumage of violet, blue and green. 

 It is, however, almost exclusively found in 

 the Fayum and Delta, and has scarcely 

 ever been seen on the river. The Arabs 

 call the Purple Gallinule ''Dick Sultani." 



Delightful as it was to us to watch all 

 these various native birds, it was often 



