154 EGYPTIAN BIRDS 
as it does to our homely English waters or wilder 
Scotch lochs; it always, somehow, goes well with 
the landscape. Shelley says, “It may be seen in 
considerable numbers in company with Spoonbills, 
Pelicans, and other waders.” And it is one of the 
curious facts about bird life here, that so many 
of the birds that we know only as solitary and not 
at all given to consorting in flocks, either with 
their own species or any other, save at their 
breeding stations, frequently do show a complete 
difference of habit in this respect in this country. 
From the boat I remember seeing a singular line 
of seven birds flying towards us. The first was 
a Heron, then a Spoonbill, then a Heron followed 
by two Spoonbills, and the straight line ended with 
two Herons, all so close together, the bill of one 
nearly touching the tail of the other, and all 
keeping time with the utmost precision. 
To enumerate all the places I have watched 
this bird at is unnecessary, as at one time or another 
I have seen it everywhere. Its food is fish, frogs, 
and it is particularly fond of eels. 
