78 THE HUMAN SIDE OF BIRDS 



speed. The strange noise produced by the flop- 

 ping of a number of these loggerhead ducks is very- 

 weird. 



Among the curious sports of the bird world, none 

 is more striking than that of the professional jock- 

 eys. These jockeys are many in number and their 

 beasts of burden are equally numerous. One of 

 the best known of this profession is the rosy bee- 

 eater of East Africa. Mr. Arthur Neumann de- 

 scribes him as continually riding about "on the back 

 of the large-crested bustard or 'pauw' which is com- 

 mon about the northern extremity of Bassu. It 

 sits far back on the rump of its mount, as a boy 

 rides a donkey. The pauw does not seem to resent 

 this liberty, but stalks majestically along, while 

 its brilliantly clad little jockey keeps a lookout, sit- 

 ting sideways, and now and again flies up after an 

 insect it has espied, returning again after the chase 

 to 'its camel' as Juma (his native servant) not 

 inaptly called it. ... I have also noticed this 

 pretty little bird sitting on the backs of goats, 

 sheep, and antelopes, but the pauw seems its fa- 

 vourite steed. I imagine it gets more flights in 

 this way at game put up by its bearer, which also 

 affords it a point of vantage whence to sight and 

 pursue its prey in a country where suitable sticks 

 to perch on are few." 



