184 NATURAL HISTORY. 



writes : " The clamour in these breeding-places is so tremendous and singular in its character as 

 almost to defy description ; it must be heard before a person can form any idea of what it is like. 

 At a distance these hideous noises blend into a confused roar, so as in some way to resemble the 

 hubbub caused by a party of drunken Hungai-ian peasants ; and it is only on a nearer approach that 

 the separate notes of the two species, the Common and the Night Heron, can be easily distinguished, 

 namely, craik and qudck, to which the notes of the young, zek-zek-zek, or gek-gek-gek, &c., in different 

 keys, serve as an accompaniment. When close to, the noise is tremendous, and the stench un- 

 bearable. This, together with the sight of dozens of young Herons in every stage of putrefaction 

 and teeming with maggots, is perfectly sickening, though the contemplation of life and movement 

 in this immense heronry is a matter of interest to the true ornithologist." 



The tops of the highest trees are usually occupied by the nests of the Common Heron ; a little 

 lower down is the habitation of the shy and beautiful Great Egret (Egretta alba) ; while among the 

 forks of the lowest branches the Night Heron takes up her abode. All these species build in one 

 and the same tree, the nests numbering no I uufrequently as many as fifteen in a single tree, and yet 

 peace invariably reigns between all these varieties. High over the trees appears the Common Heron, 

 laden with booty, announcing his arrival with a hoarse craaich, when, changing his note to a goose- 

 like da-da-da-da, he either jerks the provender down the throats of his ever-hungry youngstei-s, 

 or throws it up before them, when the fish are greedily swallowed amid a desperate accompaniment 

 of gohe-e-e-e, gohe-e-e-e, a sound much resembling the frantic cry of a calf which is being lifted into 

 a farmer's market-cart. The conduct of the more cautious Egret is very different. Circling far above 

 the nest, she first satisfies herself that no foe is hidden below before she alights amongst her family, 

 which are much quieter and less hasty than their cousins. The Night Herons, on the contrary, 

 approach their nests from all sides, high and low, their crops filled with frogs, fish, and insects. A 

 deep qudk or gowek announces the arrival of the old bird already from some distance, to which the 

 young answer while feeding with a note resembling queht, qiieht, or quehaodheh, quehoehah. As soon 

 as the parents have taken their departure the youngsters recommence their concert, and from every 

 nest uninterrupted cries of tzik-tzik-tzik, tzek-tzek-tzek, tzge-tzge-tzge, and gett-gett-gett, are the order 

 of the day. This amusement is varied by the nestlings climbing out among the branches till they 

 reach the top of the tree, whence they can have a good look-out, and can see the old birds returning 

 home from a long distance, though they are in many cases often mistaken as to their identity. 



THE SECOND FAMILY OF THE HERODIONES. THE STORKS (Ciconiida). 



These birds may be divided into two sub-families, the Timbres (Scopince) and the true Storks 

 (Ciconiince). The first of these sub-families contains only two genera peculiar to Africa, each 

 possessing a single species as its representative. The Umbre, or Brown Stork, is a bird of moderate 

 size, with a totally brown plumage and a well-developed crest. Mr. Layard writes of it : " The 

 Hammer-kop (literally Hammer-head) is found throughout the Cape Colony, and all the way up 

 to the Zambesi, frequenting ponds, marshes, rivers, and lakes. It is a strange weird bird, flitting 

 about with great activity in the dusk of the evening, and preying upon frogs, small fish, &c. At 

 times, when two or three are feeding in the same small pool, they will execute a singular dance, 

 skipping round one another, opening and closing their wings, and performing strange antics. They 

 breed on trees and rocky ledges, forming a huge structure of sticks, some of them of considerable 

 thickness. These nests are so solid that they will bear the weight of a large, heavy man on the 

 domed roof without collapsing. The entrance is a small hole, generally placed in the most inaccessible 

 side." Mr. Layard also states that the bird embellishes his singular nest with brass and bone 

 buttons, bits of crockery, bleached bones, or anything bright and glittering which it may pick up. 

 One nest which he saw was three yards long, and one yard and a half across. 



The Balceniceps rex, or Shoe-billed Stork, is less widely distributed than the Brown Stork in> 

 Africa, being only found in the waters of the Upper Nile, where he is very seldom met with, however. 

 It is one of the largest birds known, and is unequalled among birds for its curious appearance. As 

 to the distinctive birds of Central Africa. Dr. Brehm writes : " A creature which resembles a very 

 marvel of fairy-land I mean Balceniceps rex, the Boot-bill, or Shoe-bill, as the Arab tribes of East 

 Soudan call it holds the first place among the characteristic birds of Africa : there is, in fact, only 



