PINTAIL-DUCK 179 
of a duck under a circle, which is translated as the 
Son of the Sun, was doubtless meant to represent 
this particular bird. Very often—not always— 
where the workmanship is of the finest and of a good 
period, the characteristics are exact, and the long 
pintail feathers are most plainly shown. Now, no 
duck that comes to this country has a long tail, 
other than the Pintail, therefore there can be no 
question that these old-time artists, for some reason 
best known to themselves, selected from all the 
various ducks they have, just this particular one 
to symbolize this royal conception. It is also 
shown on many wall-paintings in the tombs, flying 
with the tail spread, and the two long central 
feathers well marked. Going up the Nile some- 
times you pass great high bare sandbanks which 
have on the other side of them long narrow strips 
of shallow pools; here, at certain times, is the 
place to see duck in their thousands — literally 
thousands. There they sit secure; the high bank 
screens them from the river-way with its great 
sailing-boats and modern steamers; they can see 
the tops of the spars and masts and the black 
smoke from the steamers’ funnels, but neither boat 
nor steamer can see them. If you attempt an 
approach by land you can rarely surprise them, as 
