THE LIFE OF THE ABARY SAVANNAS. 357 



and Geese on Lake Chapala, there was nothing to ef[ual 

 this. The Ducks looked dark against the sunlight but 

 whenever they veered, the white wing-bands Hashed like 

 mirrors. 



We counted the birds in one short line near us and found 

 there were four hundred and twenty individuals. No one 

 could count those in even one of the flocks but there must 

 have been at least twenty thousand in the first phalanx we 

 encountered. 



As we passed on, many hundreds settled again on their 

 feeding grounds, where nothing was visible of them save a 

 myriad heads and necks, stretched high and watching us 

 curiously. As many others however flew far away, the dense 

 matted flocks fraying out into long single or double lines, 

 some of which must have been a half mile in length. 



In this region these birds are Tree-ducks only in name, as 

 later in the year hundreds of eggs will be found scattered over 

 the savanna, and sooner or later the flocks will dissolve into 

 pairs, each to nest on some low hummock in the marsh. 



These Ducks never setde on the open water of the river 

 on account of the many dangers swimming beneath, of which 

 more anon. They sleep and feed and nest among the thick 

 growth of reeds and grass of the savanna itself. 



After passing the second main body of Tree-ducks we 

 now and then heard a louder whistle of wings, and a 

 family flock of four or five great black Muscovy Ducks ^' 

 would rush past; the leader, the drake, being almost twice 

 the size of the members of his harum. 



Small birds were not much in evidence from the launch, 

 although Anis ^° were abundant, fluttering awkwardly among 

 the bushes, and the big Kiskadees'"^ were nesting about every 

 hundred yards. This was the first time in the Colony that we 

 had seen these latter birds nesting away from human habita- 

 tions, so this open savanna region would appear to be their 



