LAKE NO 
253 
ants and other vermin will appropriate the prizes. To 
ensure good results, considerable time must be spent at 
each selected spot; and this was often impossible in an 
expedition with so wide a scope as ours. Our collections 
(thousands in number) ranged from buffaloes to butter¬ 
flies, and even to- diatoms! Nevertheless, we trapped 
quite a crowd of mammals, including not only a varied 
assortment of rats and mice, 1 but jerbilles, jerboas, 
ground-squirrels, genets, mongoose, monkeys, ratel, hedge¬ 
hogs, porcupine, rock-rabbits, bats, and even great gaunt 
hyaenas, both striped and spotted. As an American lady 
remarked — when we had the pleasure of entertaining 
her, with her husband (the Rev. David S. Oyler of the 
American Mission), on board Candace —“Well, it’s clear 
you three men are not out here for a holiday.” 
The broad open prairies north of Lake No (in common 
with similar country throughout Sudan) form a favourite 
haunt of bustards. The big species, Eupodotis arabs , 
though visible afar, is much too wary to approach save 
by stalking with rifle. We secured a few thus, the cocks 
weighing up to 17 lb., hens 10 lb., besides lesser bustards 
of two species, Lovat’s and Hartlaub’s—these latter with 
shot-gun. On my first voyage (1913), I nevertheless fairly 
caught one big bustard napping, and killed him with 
No. 6 at 30 yards. This happened during the scorching 
heat of noontide, when the bustard doubtless relied on 
all prudent foes taking a siesta^—as he was doing himself. 
He proved to be the heaviest on our schedule, weighing 
i8J lb., and his crop was crammed with locusts and grass¬ 
hoppers—some still alive. 
During earlier voyages, I had been struck by the total 
absence of grebes ( Podiceps) from such congenial waters 
as these. In 1919, however, we twice observed single 
little grebes, or dabchicks—one close to Lake No on 
1 Rats and mice—I venture the statement on the authority of Mr 
Roosevelt—constitute 90 per cent, of the known terrestrial mammals 
of the world. 
