LAKE NO 255 



the swamp, that my own diary failed to keep abreast of 

 their doings, or, in their absence, to render them any 

 adequate justice. At the time of writing this, both my 

 pals are back again in Africa Lynes in far Darfur, 

 Lowe somewhere in Nigeria so I content myself with 

 a mere parenthetic note in small print, quantum valeat. 



NOTE OF BIRDS COLLECTED AT LAKE No. 



These included at least eight British species : Sedge- 

 warbler, lesser whitethroat, blackcap, and chiffchaff : redstart, 

 whinchat, swallow, hoopoe, and roller ; one European species, 

 the Pallid warbler. Ethiopian forms naturally predominated, 

 and included : Purple-winged coursers (Rhinoptilus chalcopterus) 

 shot in grassy opens amid thin thorn-bush, their bright hues con- 

 trasting with the drab tones of their desert congener they are, 

 moreover, of distinctly crepuscular habit ; an unknown aquatic 

 flycatcher of perplexing personality but clearly a resident, since 

 dissection showed it to be on the point of breeding. Its 

 habitat was in the worst of the swamp, and its scientific title 

 proved to be Muscicapa infulatus, though no Muscicapa ought, 

 I understand, by any recognised rule or regulation, to breed 

 in the Tropics. 1 Then there were the usual infinite varieties of 

 weaver-finches, red-shouldered, black-masked, golden, Ruppell's 

 and other weavers ; finch-larks (Pyrrkulauda), serins and honey- 

 guides {Indicator), a golden long-claw (Macronyx), Estrildas and 

 Camaroptera ; penduline tit and sunbirds (Nectarinid], pririt 

 flycatchers (Batis), Bradyornis, isabelline wheatear, crombec 

 (Sylviella), bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor)^ fantail warblers of sorts, 

 woodchat, fiscal and isabelline shrikes ; long-tailed, Egyptian 

 and Natal nightjars, Rufipennis buzzard, red-naped merlin, 

 serpent-eagle (Circaetus gallicus, ? , weight 4f Ib. see sketch 

 opposite), coucals, barbets, woodpeckers, pratincoles, and I reck 

 not what besides. Many creatures met with hereabouts were 

 total strangers to me, and love at first sight is imprudent, 

 especially when promiscuous. 



The southern shores appear to be entirely uninhabited, 

 and are traversed by innumerable deep khors all choked 



1 Mr Butler points out that Muscicapa aquatica also does so. 



