Diary of Birds seen on the White Nile. 16 r


buffalo through glasses at some distance inland. To-day I saw

for the first time some Sacred Ibis ( Ibis aethicpica). This is

the bird which is so generally associated with Egypt, but is

apparently never seen there in spite of the assertion of nearly

every Dragoman to the contrary. Several Bee-eaters were seen

flying over the river, probably Merops nubictis , apiaster , persicns,

snperciliosus and viridis.


Feb. 4th. At a wood-station early this morning some of

our party came across a herd of fifteen Korin Gazelle ( Gazella

rufifrons ), two of which they shot. At 11.30 we arrived at the

town of Renk, inhabited chiefly by Shilluks. I saw a large

number of Waxbills of various species in the bushes near the

town. In the afternoon we passed through some thick forest,

consisting almost entirely of Acacias, in which I saw a large

number of the Blue-Wattled Guinea Fowl.


Feb. 5th. I again saw large numbers of Waxbills at the

wood-station where we stopped this morning, and among them

recognised the Cordon Bleu ( Estiilda phoenicotis). Early in the

afternoon I was lucky in seeing three wild Ostriches ( Struthio

camelus ) in a lightly wooded grass country. At three p.111., we

arrived at Melut, a Government telegraph station, with a mixed

population of Soudanese and Shilluks. In the late afternoon I

saw several Black-winged Stilts ( Himantopus Candidas') and some

Marabou Stoiks (Leploplilus crumenifetus).


Feb. 6th. We arrived at Kodok, formerly known as

Fashoda, at seven a.m. One passes through a mosquito-infested

swamp by means of an embankment to reach the town. There

is a small garrison stationed here. The “ Mek,” or King of the

Shilluks also resides here. We saw several of their canoes on the

river, both dug-outs and lighter craft made of ambasli reeds tied

together. Major Marchand’s garden is still kept up. A short

distance south of Kodok I saw some Pelicans ( Pelica?ius onocro-

tahis). I11 the afternoon we called at the station of the Austrian

Roman Catholic Mission at Lul. At five p.111. I had the pleasure

of seeing through my glasses some Giraffes, apparently three

adults and one young one. As far as I could judge, they were a

little over a mile from the river and were standing in a low scrub.

About sunset we landed at a small Shilluk village, the inhabitants



