i 82 Mr. Richard Staples-Browne,


of temperature, mine have done much better since I moved them

to a compartment of my small bird-house, where the temperature

is kept at a fairly steady 6 o Q .


The diet is insectivorous and frugivorous, but they seem

to prefer fruit, and would I think thrive on that alone, anyway

for a long time.



DIARY OF BIRDS SEEN ON THE WHITE NILE.


By Richard Staples-Browne.


Part II.


(Continued from page 163 J


Feb. 10th. This morning we are again in a broad river,

the Bahr el Jebel. Our progress through the cutting from the

Bahr el Zeraf has been very difficult. The channel is intended

chiefly for irrigation purposes, to prevent the darning back of too

much water by the sudd, with consequent loss by evaporation.

We were often aground in the shallows, on several occasions we

took the wrong turning and found ourselves in a cul-de-sac , and

our wheel was frequently clogged with sudd. The Bahr el Jebel,

in which we now are, is the river which flows from the Albert

Nyanza to Lake No, where, joining the Bahr el Gliazal, it forms

the main stream of the White Nile, which we had left near Kio.

The river is flanked on both sides by a perfect forest of Papyrus

plants, large feathery tufts at the end of long green stems, like so

many housemaid’s mops. Some ot these plants must have stood

fifteen feet above the water. They extended as far as the eye can

reach on either hand, and the view is consequently monotonous;

in fact, the river flows through a desolate marsh at this point.

Bird life here is rare. Practically the only birds I saw up to five

p.m. were a few Black and White Kingfishers (Ccryle midis'), one

or two Waders and some English chimney Swallows (Hirundo

rustica) ; these Swallows were, however, present in large numbers.

I looked in vain for the Egyptian Swallow (Hirundo savignii)

with which I was familiar in lower Egypt. All appeared to be

H. rustica. They were busily employed hawking the all too

numerous insects, from which we had been suffering for some

days past. At five p.m. we entered the lagoon on which the



