102 Bird Hunting on the White Nile. 



grouse and a few other birds with, here and there a run 

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



One afternoon while wandering about the fringe of 

 the desert I came upon some tracks made by small birds 

 which seemed to be great 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 J running swiftly along the 

 ground. When I neared them they uttered a shrill 

 " whe " quickly several times, then rose and flew 

 straight and low, alighting some little way off. After 

 hunting them a long time and getting no nearer, I at last 

 drove them into some thick leafless bushes. I could 

 see them from the distance with my binoculars 

 perched in the bushes and flirting their tails up and 

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

 appeared. Then I heard a shrill note coming from the 

 middle of a bush which was composed of thin and wiry 

 green shoots, leafless but so thickly interlaced 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 



Argya acacias (Licht.). 



