WATER-FOWL 213 



apparently jet-black ; the head, throat, and wing 

 covers are of vivid bronzy green, whilst the fore- 

 head and beak are banded yellowish white, black, 

 and vivid crimson. He stands about three feet 

 high, and is an altogether striking and attractive 

 personality. 



The marsh and river, which are, of course, the 

 favourite feeding and resting places for all three 

 of the last-named varieties, possess quite a feathered 

 world of their own. Here you may see the Great 

 White Stork consorting on terms of perfect amity 

 with the Great Purple, the Grey, and the Goliath 

 Herons ; the Black-headed and Rufous-bellied 

 Herons are also present, surrounded by four different 

 kinds of snowy Egrets, and two or three varieties 

 of Bittern. On the river estuaries Flamingoes 

 turn whole acres of unsightly mudbanks into so 

 many expanses of sun-dancing pink. Along the 

 edge of the water, upon which Spur-winged and 

 Knob-nosed Geese are resting among multitudes 

 of duck, teal, widgeon, and sheldrake, multitudes 

 of shore-birds run hither and thither ; wattled 

 plover and grey-speckled water dikkops are found 

 in company with white-fronted sand plovers. 

 Black-winged stints and avocets pursue their prey 

 with redshanks, greenshanks, sandpipers, and wag- 

 tails. Near the coast a fine Curlew {Numenius) 

 mixes with maybirds, whimbrels, and sanderlings, 

 whilst both the Ethiopian and the Painted Snipe 

 are extremely numerous in the marshes which lie 

 a little way back from the river. The Spur- 

 winged Plover {Lobivanellus albiceps) is another 

 curious form which during some periods of the 



