58 BIEDS AND ANIMALS. 



wind continues so steadily during the whole time of my stay, 

 that in my frail india-rubber canoe I am often unable to 

 follow up the sport as I could have wished ; however, I get a 

 few Pelicans, a fair amount of Ducks, and plenty of Cormorants. 

 I tried the latter for dinner one day, and found them not 

 very bad, though I preferred the Pelicans ; both are far better 

 than the Wild Geese, which, after one trial, were ever after 

 excluded from the bill of fare. The Purple Gallinule is tole- 

 rably abundant, but I more frequently heard than saw it ; its 

 note, by no means musical, resembles the noise one might 

 expect a donkey to make if it had a sore throat. I was very 

 glad to meet with the Lesser Cormorant, as at the time I was 

 not aware that it occurred in Egypt. 



I saw numerous tracks of Wolves and Jackals, and also 

 the footprints of the Wild Boar, but am at a loss to know 

 what the latter animal can find to feed upon, as this side 

 appears entirely barren ; so much so, that on my way to 

 some Roman ruins, about two miles inland, I did not meet 

 with a single bird. 



March \^th. — I was to have returned to the other side of 

 the lake to-day ; but the boatmen go off early in the morn- 

 ing to pick up their nets on the other side ; so that whcji 

 ready to start I find no boat to take me, which causes me to 

 vent my displeasure in a few words to the dragoman, and 

 settle to remain here another day. This I know he does not 

 like, as he considers this side unsafe, on account of the wander- 

 ing Arabs, who are said occasionally to attack the stranger 

 who takes the liberty of pitching his tent upon their desert 

 soil ; so that my dragoman has had to mount guard every 

 night himself, as our native guard would be sure to run away 

 if a wandering party of Bedouins made their appearance. Such 



