2GS 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[December, 1901. 



desert to that of a well-watered countiy. In the desert 

 the plants fight for life against the want of moisture; 

 they are thinly spread, stunted, with small leaves or 

 no leaves, spiky or hairy, evei^y contrivance being made 

 use of to prevent transpiration and to retain moisture. 

 In the watered country the plants fight against one 

 another, they crowd each other out, and the most 

 luxuriant gains the mastery. In the desert you can read 

 in the sand a.s in clearest print and see the scarcity 

 of its animal life. Bordering on the watered counti-y 

 the tracks ai'e fairly numerous, but the further y^ou go 

 the fewer become the feet-marks until those of sand- 

 gi-ouse and a few other birds with here and there a run 

 of some small animal arc all the marks to be seen. 



One afternoon while wandering about the fringe of 

 the desert I came upon some ti'acks made by small birds 

 which seemed to be gi'eat runners. I followed up the 

 spoor until it disappeared, evidently where the birds had 

 taken to flight. Going on and casting about I found 

 the tracks again and eventually got a sight of some 

 sandy-coloured babblers| running swiftly along the 

 ground. When I neared them they uttered a shrill 

 " whee " quickly several times, then rose and flew 

 straight and low, alighting some little way off. After 

 hunting them a long time and getting no ne<irer, I at last 

 drove them into some thick leafless bushes. I could 

 see them from the distance with my binoculai-s 

 perched in the bushes and flirting their tails up and 

 down like wagtails, but when I got near they had dis- 

 appeared. Then I heai-d a shrill note coming from the 

 middle of a bush which was composed of thin and wiry 

 green shoot.s, leafless but so thickly iutei'laced that the 

 birds were perfectly hidden. I kicked the bush, but the 

 birds would not budge. I walked all round it several 

 times but the birds only travelled round on the opposite 

 side. When I was least expecting it the babblers flew 

 out suddenly and silently, and were hidden in a 

 neighbouring bush before I could get a view of them. 

 By employing dodging tactics somewhat like hunting ai 

 person round a table I managed to secure two or three 

 specimens. 



The chase ended, I began to realise that six or eight 

 miles of desert divided me from the river; that I had 

 no water bottle and was parched with thirst. The east 

 gi-ew dark, and turning round, I saw the sun quickly 

 dipping below the horizon. I hurried to the river but 

 had not gone a mile before the sun sank, and the light 

 rapidly drawing itself together, plunged down after it, 

 the landmarks disappeared, and I was left without a 

 guide. I trudged on and luckily keeping my direction 

 fairly well, at leng-th reached the trees. After a long 

 search I found the camp, but was then nearly speechless 

 with thickened tongue and parched-up throat. Such a 

 condition was uncomfortable enough, and gave one a 

 slight idea of the agonies suffered by those who die of 

 thirst in the fiery heat of the desert. 



The chief object of this walk in the desert was to 

 search for a raro and beautiful goatsucker. § Only fom- 

 specimens of this bird were known and tliey had been 

 brought home many years ago; three by Eiippell and 

 one by either Schimper or Baron von Miiller. The exact 

 locality from which they came was uncertain, but it was 

 known to bo from somewhere in the Sennaar district. Con- 

 sequently the bird was on© of our possible prizes and was 

 hunted for accordingly. The plumage of the head and 

 back of this lovely goatsucker is like burnished gold 



Argtia. acacitf (Liclit.). 



§ Capriinul(iiis e.vimius Tcnim. 



with small spots and bars of black and grey, while the 

 breast is buff coloured. A bird of such colouring 

 shoidd evidently live amongst yellow sand, butrthe desert 

 for the most jsart of the country we traversed was of a 

 gritty grey colour. It was not until we were within 

 twelve miles of Khartovim on our return that we found 

 the desert of a colour to match the goatsucker. But all 

 our seai'ch was iiseless. The goatsucker was not to be 

 found by tramping over the burning sand. Then good» 

 fortune came to our aid. 



There is just a short half-hour after sunset when tlie 

 bats begin to fly and one can see to shoot them against 

 the fast waning light in the west. On one of our last 

 evenings of camp life I was trying to shoot some small 

 bats that were flitting round the tents. The first that 

 dropped I failed to find in the darkness, so I marked 

 the place where it seemed to fall by a small pyramid 

 of mud. By this time the sun's glow had faded, but a 

 brilliant moon had risen, and thinking I should be able 

 to see the bats flying over the water, I moved down to 

 the edge of the river. As I was standing there a hawk- 

 like bird appeared like a ghost from over the river. As 

 it passed me I raised my gun mechanically and fired, 

 but the bird went on and in ten yards or so was out 

 of sight. I thought no more about it as my gun was 

 loaded with dust shot and the bird seemed large and 

 some distance off. Tiring at length of shooting by moon- 

 light I retiuiied to the camp, and calling for a lantern, 

 went to search for the bat at the place I had marked 

 with a heap of mud. As the light flashed on the spot, 

 there lying dead with outspread wings was the glorious 

 golden goatsucker. I picked it up and rushed madly 

 to my companions. The Arabs looked on in wonder at 

 three frantic Englishmen dancing and shouting round a 

 bird. It was one of those rare occasions in a naturalist's 

 camp when champagne would seem a necessity. Having 

 sione we drank to the goatsucker in whisky and Whit© 

 Nile water. 



That night we heard a goatsucker " churring. ' We 

 hoped it might be a golden one, but could detect no 

 difference in its note to that of the common goatsucker 

 of the counti-y. which rasjaed continually like some huge 

 locust in the trees about our camps. Needless to say in 

 the few days before we reached Khartoum and began 

 our iTish home to England, we redoubled our efforts to 

 find more of so rare a bu'd, but not a sign of another 

 did we see. In a country made easily accessible by rail 

 such a bird cannot be expected to remain rare long, and 

 this year, near Shendy, the Hon. Charles Rothschild 

 and Mr. A. F. R. WoUaston found this goatsucker fairly 

 common, and brought home some fifteen specimens. 



The fate of the bat that led to the finding of the goat- 

 sucker must be told. In the morning I searched care- 

 fully and found it. Strangely enough it was of much 

 the same colour as the goatsucker, and on bringing it 

 home Mr. W. E. de Winton pronounced it a new species. 

 My friend, Capt. S. S. Flower, however, afterwards 

 brought homo a similar specimen which he had obtained 

 two months before I shot mine, and some 200 miles 

 further to the south. Capt. Flower's specimen therefore 

 rightly took precedence, and the bat has been named 

 Glauroni/ctei-ji: Flnweri. 



I often dream of a broad river flowing through a desert 

 land lit by the bright moon ; of a ghost-like form and 

 a chance shot; then I see a stately Arab bearing a 

 lantern, and suddenly the light flashes upon a glorious 

 bird shining like burnished gold all spread out upon 

 the sand. 



