NESTING SEASON. 
171 
pegged out neatly over it till thoroughly dried by the 
sun into the state of parchment ; it is then doubled 
and pressed in every possible direction, and a few 
integuments are pulled off. It is hand-rubbed, and 
smeared with grease, and then becomes fit for wear. 
Great numbers of moles, larger than English, were 
caught in our camp. Their fur was black or brown, 
and some were wdiite. The natives seemed to make 
no use of them. 
Of game-birds the most numerous are the guinea- 
fowl, the " boee " and " qualee " partridges. The 
natives shoot at long distances with their arrows, and 
must destroy great quantities of game. They also use 
springes, for during the march a small boy was met car- 
rying on a string some birds he had caught. We said 
to him, "Come to camp — you'll be paid for them;" but 
he naively replied, " Catch me going to your camp ! 
you'd put chains upon me, and make me a slave." 
On the 1 Oth of April a nest of guinea-fowl, " kanga," 
eggs were brought me ; this was in the middle of the 
rainy season ; but they most probably breed all the 
year round. Small red sparrows were also picking 
up feathers ; and a nest made of one species of grass, 
with two unspotted white little eggs, was brought in, 
showing that incubation goes on at this season. On 
the lake there were varieties of duck, which came in 
flights every night about the beginning of December 
from the east, flying over our camp with the sound of 
a passing shell. An Egyptian goose, to us particularly 
interesting from its name and connection with the 
Nile, was shot by Speke, and sent to the sultan, who 
was more delighted with its splendid plumage than 
with the English table-knife, fork, and spoon he had 
