Bird Notes from the Nile. 41 



plant stems, lined with fine grass. The 

 young are turned out of the nest before 

 they can fly, and may often be seen on 

 the ground near the home whence they 

 have been ejected. 



Besides the varied notes of the warblers, 

 the twitter of sparrows constantly re- 

 minded us of home. The Egyptian 

 Sparrow is a very daring and bold little 

 fellow, coming in and out of the room 

 without invitation, hopping about on the 

 hunt for stray crumbs. The sparrows are 

 so plentiful in some places that they be- 

 come quite a nuisance. In the temple of 

 Medinet Habou there are thousands of 

 sparrows, which nest in holes in the walls, 

 " sparrows where Pharaoh's name is writ." 

 Some of the holes, too, are inhabited by 

 cobras, and when one of these snakes pops 

 out his head he is immediately mobbed 

 by the whole sparrow population of the 

 temple. But Mr. Cobra quietly ** bides his 

 time," and when he gets a convenient 

 chance, he seizes one unfortunate bird out 

 of the crowd of his tormentors, and retires 

 promptly to his own hole to eat his victim. 

 The rest of the screaming, fluttering 



