32 Bird Notes from the Nile. 



So we wandered by starlight among the 

 vast ruins, and, for amusement, lit a small 

 magnesium lamp which my husband had 

 in his pocket. The most conspicuous 

 object thus suddenly illuminated was the 

 beautiful obelisk of Queen Hatsheptsut, 

 and in a few seconds its shining summit 

 was surrounded by a bewildered throng of 

 bats and owls, whirling in eccentric circles 

 round the bright point, like giant moths 

 round a giant candle. 



With the birds of prey which frequent 

 the sand banks on the Nile, the Hooded 

 Crows are always to be seen. We have 

 constantly been much amused watching 

 the proceedings of all these birds, and the 

 strict laws of etiquette that seem to be 

 observed among them. We often noticed 

 that when some special dainty had been 

 found by the crows, the kites would arrive, 

 and the crows would immediately decamp ; 

 then in their turn the kites would have to 

 make way for a vulture, and if by chance 

 an eagle appeared at the feast, one and all 

 moved on and left the delicate morsel for 

 his Majesty, the King of Birds. Such a 

 scene as this is often enacted on the long 



