Birds by the Wayside 371 



of the dreariest places on earth. It did not prove wildly at- 

 tractive on any of these occasions. The mornings were those 

 of December 24, February 2, and March 4. ,On the first of 

 these, after having been up all night and chilled to the mar- 

 row, although clad in heavy winter clothing, I walked the 

 steamer's deck for four hours in an attempt to become com- 

 fortably warm. Meanwhile the rays of the crescent moon 

 were paled by the light of advancing dawn. Soon there flew 

 overhead a Parasitic Kite and a little later seven Hooded 

 Crows ; a Gull was seen and one small bird in some trees that 

 grew near the water's edge. These were the only birds seen 

 about Port Said that day. On March 4, during a long ride 

 to the south of the town, not a bird was ,seen. Gulls were 

 fairly numerous over the water of the harbor, and on the 

 shores at the back of the place were a few shore birds, among 

 which Green Sandpipers and Ring-ed Plovers were recognized. 

 Special mention of the scarcity of birds about Port Said is 

 made, because of the very great abundance of them to be 

 found a few miles away on Lake Menzaleh. This lake, aver- 

 aging about forty miles in length by fifteen in breadth, is the 

 winter home of myriads of water-fowl. Fortunately for 

 travelers excellent views of these birds may be had both from 

 the car windows and from the steamer's decks. Nowhere, 

 not even in the exceedingly populous bird colonies of the Ork- 

 ney and the Shetland Islands, were so many birds seen by 

 me. Instinctively one begins to fear that it is too fine a para- 

 dise to last in this greedy age; and fears are confirmed by 

 statements found in guidebooks and newspapers. Operations 

 are already on foot for draining the lake. 



Whoever enjo3^s jogging along- after a horse traveling at 

 the rate of four miles per hour, thus enabling him to scan 

 well all the birds by the wayside, would for the same reason 

 enjoy traveling on the Suez Canal. A stone's throw away 

 there may be birds sitting on the telegraph wires. The boat 

 seems to be drifting through the people's front yards, in 

 which they are pursuing their daily tasks ; or here and there, 

 if the hour is an early one, black-robed people may be seen 



