22 Bird Notes from the Nile. 



CHAPTER III. 



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'• The voice of the dove speaks, 

 She says : ' The world is light, observe it ! ' " 

 — Anciettt Egyptian Song. 



'* Then stand there and hear 

 The birds' quiet singing, that tells us 

 What life is, so clear ! " 



— Browning. 



THE most conspicuous objects in every 

 village on the banks of the Nile 

 are the pigeon towers. These are 

 the temporary abode of hundreds of wild 

 pigeons, while the domestic pigeons are 

 kept in the houses of the villagers. It is 

 difBcult to distinguish between them, and 

 care must always be taken by the sports- 

 man not to shoot the wrong bird, for the 

 tame ones range a long way from home, 

 and the death of one of these birds calls 

 forth the wrath of the whole village. The 

 wild and tame pigeons sometimes, though 

 very rarely, breed together. The pigeon 

 towers in Upper Egypt are square or 

 oblong buildings, and are full of potsherds 

 and large earthenware pots, in which the 



