62 VOYAGE UP THE NILE, 
river. Afterwards we saw many beautiful birds, 
of whose names we are entirely ignorant ; par- 
ticularly one of the plover kind, whose plumage 
displayed the most lively and variegated co- 
lours '. The pigeon-cones increased very much 
after \)^ssmg Amrus ; almost every village being 
furnished with them. Buffaloes, swimming about 
in the Nile, afford a singular sight, with their 
black noses sticking out of the water, snorting 
as they cross from side to side ; all the rest of 
their bodies being concealed. But the most 
singuLy remarkable appearance of living beings, may be 
Appear- uotlccd by dipping a ladle or bucket into the 
midst of the river, which is everywhere dark 
Vvdth mud, and observing the swarms of animals 
contained in the torrent. Among these, tadpoles 
and young frogs are so numerous, that, rapid as 
the current flows, there is no part of the Nile 
where the water is destitute of them. The ad- 
ditions to our herhary were not of any import- 
ance ; for the season was too far advanced^. 
(1) Probably the " Tringa uEgyptiaca" of Linnceus, " longirostris, 
fusco albidoqice variegata." See Hasselq.Tr&v, p. 199. 
(2) In the account of our journey from Aboukir to Rosetta, {See 
Cliap.YK.. Vol.lW. p. 367. 8vo. edit.) five new species were omitted, 
which may be noticed here, although perhaps not found so high up 
the Nile. The first genus is not mentioned iu Professor Martyn's 
edition ol Miller's Dictionary. 
I. A non- 
anc 
Plants. 
