KHARTOUM AND OMDURMAN 305 
Nevertheless, though banished from the precincts of the 
city, “ Metallica” still clings to the deserts immediately 
outside, wherever its beloved Sodom-apple (as well as 
the thorny tundub-bush, Capparis aphylla) is allowed to 
survive and flourish. 
Kites are almost a civic institution at Khartoum. All 
day long they, with other big birds of prey (vultures, 
Sunbirds ( Nectarinia pulchella ).— 0 ^ BLOSSOM OF Erythrina. 
eagles, and falcons), soar and circle amidst the palms, 
and in the beautiful gardens of the Palace, kites become 
well nigh a nuisance ; for they nest in every tree, coolly 
conducting their parental duties in utter disrespect of 
“tea and tennis” proceeding immediately beneath their 
aerial nurseries. At home, a few years ago, we had a 
“ Kite Committee” charged to protect the half-dozen pairs 
of kites which then survived on British soil, maintaining 
watchers at each nest by day and night. In Khartoum 
some would rather subscribe to exterminate the kites! 
That epochal autumn of 1918, when empires and 
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