THE FLAMINGO 163 
H.H. the Khedive being informed of my 
desire to visit the Flamingo at its home in Lake 
Menzaleh, exceedingly kindly granted me special 
facilities, and I was able to go from end to end of 
this great lake and from side to side, visiting every 
place where they were to be found. I was allowed 
the use of one of the coastguard dahabeahs. 
These boats are built on the lines of the native 
fishing-boats ; being practically flat-bottomed they 
draw but little water, which is necessary, as the 
lake for its size is very shallow. It is this 
shallowness which makes Menzaleh such a happy 
hunting-ground for all water-birds. It fairly teems 
with birds ; in February there are literally millions 
of Duck there, with Cormorants, Pelicans, Herons, 
Flamingoes, and Waders of every sort. In March 
they lessen in numbers, many only using it as 
a place to spend a few weeks at before going 
north to their summer homes, and by the time 
April comes there are not an overwhelming 
number; but the Flamingoes keep there as a 
feeding-ground nearly all the year round, and it 
was to see if they had their nesting-quarters there 
that I went to Menzaleh early this year, 1909. 
You cannot be long on the lake before you 
begin to understand why birds love it so, for as 
