106 BRITISH BIRDS. 



During the march over a portion of the country which had been cleared by 

 burning, we met a curious hunting-party. A number of the common black- 

 and-white Storks were hunting for grasshoppers and other insects; but 

 mounted on the back of each Stork was a large copper-coloured Flycatcher, 

 which, perched like a rider on its horse, kept a bright look-out for insects, 

 which, from its elevated position, it could easily discover upon the ground. 

 I watched them for some time. Whenever the Storks perceived a grass- 

 hopper or other winged insect they chased them on foot ; but if they missed 

 their game, the Flycatchers darted from their backs, and flew after the insects 

 like Falcons, catching them in their beaks, and then returning to their steeds 

 to look out for another opportunity." 



In the ' Heart of Africa,' by Dr. George Schweinfurth, translated by 

 Ellen E. Frewer, vol. i. p. 119, we have, on the White Nile : — "It does not 

 admit of a doubt that men and beasts exhibit singular coincidences and cer- 

 tain agreement in their tendencies. The Shilooks, the Nueis, and the Dinka 

 tribes, stationed on the low marshy flats which adjoin the river, 'give the 

 impression,' says Heuglin, ' that amongst men they hold the same place 

 as Flamingoes do with reference to the rest of the feathered race.' The 

 dwellers in these marsh-lands would probably have a web between their 

 toes, were it not compensated for by the flatness of their feet and the unusual 

 prolongation of the heel. Another remarkable similarity is the way in which, 

 like the birds of the marshes, they are accustomed, for an hour at a time, to 

 stand motionless on one leg, supporting the other above the knee. Their 

 leisurely long stride over the rushes is only to be compared to that of 

 a Stork. Lean and lanky limbs, a long thin neck, on which rests a small 

 and narrow head, give a finishing touch to the resemblance." 



Mr. Canon Tristram, whose works are always pleasing, from the healthy 

 tone which pervades them, and the sound spirit in which they are written^ 

 gives a pelargic anecdote (' Nat. Hist, of the Bible,' p. 245), viz. : — 

 " On the highest point of a large mass of ruin at Rabboth Ammon Avere the 

 remains of a deserted pile of sticks, an old Stork's nest. One of these birds 



