LAKE NO 253 



ants and other vermin will appropriate the prizes. To 

 ensure good results, considerable time must be spent at 

 each selected spot ; and this was often impossible in an 

 expedition with so wide a scope as ours. Our collections 

 (thousands in number) ranged from buffaloes to butter- 

 flies, and even to diatoms! Nevertheless, we trapped 

 quite a crowd of mammals, including not only a varied 

 assortment of rats and mice, 1 but jerbilles, jerboas, 

 ground-squirrels, genets, mongoose, monkeys, ratel, hedge- 

 hogs, porcupine, rock-rabbits, bats, and even great gaunt 

 hysenas, both striped and spotted. As an American lady 

 remarked when we had the pleasure of entertaining 

 her, with her husband (the Rev. David S. Oyler of the 

 American Mission), on board Candace "Well, it's clear 

 you three men are not out here for a holiday." 



The broad open prairies north of Lake No (in common 

 with similar country throughout Sudan) form a favourite 

 haunt of bustards. The big species, Eupodotis arabs, 

 though visible afar, is much too wary to approach save 

 by stalking with rifle. We secured a few thus, the cocks 

 weighing up to 17 lb., hens 10 lb., besides lesser bustards 

 of two species, Lovat's and Hartlaub's these latter with 

 shot-gun. On my first voyage (1913), I nevertheless fairly 

 caught one big bustard napping, and killed him with 

 No. 6 at 30 yards. This happened during the scorching 

 heat of noontide, when the bustard doubtless relied on 

 all prudent foes taking a siesta as he was doing himself. 

 He proved to be the heaviest on our schedule, weighing 

 184 lb., and his crop was crammed with locusts and grass- 

 hoppers some still alive. 



During earlier voyages, I had been struck by the total 

 absence of grebes (Podiceps) from such congenial waters 

 as these. In 1919, however, we twice observed single 

 little grebes, or dabchicks one close to Lake No on 



1 Rats and mice I venture the statement on the authority of Mr 

 Roosevelt constitute 90 per cent, of the known terrestrial mammals 

 of the world. 



