Diary of Bit ds seen on the White Nile.



159



Scotchman, and had been for several years in the Sudan, had very

much interesting information to give on the country. I11 short,

we made a journey through a wild country in a most pleasant

and even luxurious fashion, and I have no hesitation in recom¬

mending such a tour to any who are fond of natural history. I

will now give those parts of my diary which relate to the birds

and animals met with at the various places at which we stopped

or were seen from the deck of the steamer.


Feb. 1st. We started from Khartum at 11.15, and steamed

down the Blue Nile to Omdurman, where the junction of the

Blue and White Niles occurs. Here we turned south. The river

is very wide. The banks are very low and are covered with

an enormous quantity of goats. There were plenty of Wild

Fowl at the water’s edge, and among them the Whistling Teal

(. Dendrocygna viduata), the Egyptian Goose ( Chenalopex aegyptin¬

cus), the Spoonbill ( Platalea leucorodia ) and the Grey Heron

(Ardea cmetea). A few Egyptian Vultures {Neophronpercnopterus)

were dotted about. There are several low trees about, and among

them the famous Harraz tree, under which General Gordon is

said to have sat, and is now called “ Gordon’s tree.” After lunch,

we passed enormous flocks of geese. It was difficult to believe

that the birds could be present in such quantities. In the middle

of one flock I saw our first crocodile. Later in the afternoon we

passed a flock of Flamingos ( Phoetiicopterus roseus). About four

p.m. we passed the Jebel Auli, the hills from which the building

stone of the neighbourhood comes. There were several Storks

about, the White Stork ( Ciconia alba) and Abdim Bey Stork ( C .

abdimii ), also a large flock of Grey Cranes (Gruscommunis). The

natives are almost entirely Arabs on this part of the river.

They have a few cattle, those I saw were mostly humped.


Feb. 2nd. Early this morning I saw several Lady William

Cecil’s Crowned Cranes ( Balearica pavonina ceciliae ) as well as

some large flocks of common ones. Some Lesser Black-backed

Gulls (Lat usfuscus) were flying over the river. It is interesting

to note that we are 2 000 miles from the mouths of the Nile, so

they have followed the river some considerable distance inland.

At nine a.m. we reached El Dueim, a large town inhabited by

Danagla Arabs and a few negroes. From here a caravan route



