236 WATER-FOWT,. 



yield a meal,, for it is usually done in the dark. Like 

 most aquatic feeders, they work by night, when insects and 

 fishes rise to the surface. They have great affection for 

 their young, its amount being increased in proportion to 

 the helplessness of the offspring. 



There are also numbers of spoonbills, nearly white in 

 plumage : the beautiful, stately flamingo ; the Numidian 

 crane, or demoiselle, some of which, tamed at Government 

 House, Cape Town, struck every one as most graceful 

 ornaments to a noble mansion as they perched on its 

 pillars. There are two cranes besides — one light blue, 

 the other also light blue, but with a white neck ; and 

 gulls (Procellaria) of different sizes abound. 



One pretty little wader, an avoset, appears as if standing 

 on stilts, its legs are so long ; and its bill seems bent the 

 wrong way, or upwards. It is constantly seen wading in 

 the shallows, digging up little slippery insects, the peculiar 

 form of the bill enabling it to work them easily out of the 

 sand. When feeding, it puts its head under the water to 

 seize the insect at the bottom, then lifts it up quickly, 

 making a rapid gobbling, as if swallowing a wriggling 

 worm. 



The Parr a Africana runs about on the surface as if 

 walking on water, catching insects. It too has long, thin 

 legs, and extremely long toes, for the purpose of enabling 

 it to stand on the floating lotus-leaves and other aquatic 

 plants. When it stands on a lotus-leaf five inches in 

 diameter, the spread of toes, acting on the principle of 

 snow-shoes, occupies all the surface, and it never sinks, 

 though it obtains a livelihood, not by swimming or flying, 

 but by walking on the water. 



Water-birds, whose prey or food requires a certain aim 

 or action in one direction, have bills quite straight in form, 

 as the heron and snipe ; while those which are intended 

 to come in contact with hard substances, as breaking 

 shells, have the bills gently curved, in order that the 

 shock may not be communicated to the brain. 



The Barotse valley contains great numbers of large 

 black geese.* They may be seen everywhere walking 

 slowly about feeding. They have a strong black spur on 

 the shoulder like the armed plover, and as strong as that 

 on the heel of a cock, but are never seen to use them, 



* Anser leucagaster and melanogaster : 



