DOWN THE NILE; THE GIANT ELAND 443 



below Nimule, I had been struck by the comparative 

 unwariness of these birds, one of them repeatedly landing 

 on a rock a few yards away from me, and thence slipping 

 unconcernedly into the swift water and, by the way, it 

 was entirely at home in the boiling rapids. But the con- 

 duct of Loring's bird was wholly exceptional. He was 

 taking a swim in a pool when the bird lit beside him. It 

 paid no more heed to the naked white man than it would 

 have paid to a hippo, and although it would not allow 

 itself to be actually touched, it merely moved a few feet out 

 of his way when he approached it. Moreover it seemed to 

 be on the lookout for enemies in the air, not in the water. 

 It was continually glancing upward, and when a big hawk 

 appeared, followed its movements with close attention. 

 It stayed in and about the pool for many minutes before 

 flying off. I suppose that certain eagles and hawks prey 

 on cormorants; but I should also be inclined to think that 

 crocodiles at least occasionally prey on them. 



The very most attractive birds we met in middle Africa 

 and along the Nile were the brave, cheery little wagtails. 

 They wear trim black and white suits, when on the ground 

 they walk instead of hopping, they have a merry, pleasing 

 song, and they are as confiding and fearless as they are 

 pretty. The natives never molest them, for they figure to 

 advantage in the folklore of the various tribes. They came 

 round us at every halting place, entering the rest-houses in 

 Uganda and sometimes even our tents, coming up within 

 a few feet of us as we lay under trees, and boarding 

 our boats on the Nile; and they would stroll about camp 

 quite unconcernedly, in pairs, the male stopping every 

 now and then to sing. Except the whiskey jacks and 



