410 
BIRD-LIFE* 
bright blooming meadows bordered by the burning desert; 
the mighty Nile with its countless channels, and the 
coast of the Mediterranean with its lakes and marshes, 
flooded by sea and provided with fresh water from 
the Nile. These last mentioned are of considerable 
extent, and separated from the sea only by narrow belts 
of land: they abound in fish and other aquatic animals, 
and form a favourite resting-place for numberless birds 
which obtain nourishment from their waters. On the land 
side a lake of this description terminates in a shallow, 
muddy inlet, into which some one of the numerous irri¬ 
gating channels of the Nile empties itself, or else it joins 
on to the swampy paddy-fields, and rich, reedy swamp: the 
whole is encircled with a forest of palm trees, which thus 
gives the finishing touch to this paradise of the wandering 
feathered swarms. Although these lagoons are far from 
being deserted during the summer, they are not then 
nearly so densely populated as during the winter season by 
the migrating flocks. It appears to me utterly impossible 
to form any true estimate of their numbers ; it would seem 
as though all the birds of the earth had made a general 
rendezvous along this coast. The sportsman or naturalist 
who passes a few months in these regions is astonished, 
and can in nowise comprehend how hundreds of thousands 
of birds can exist on a single one of these lakes, con¬ 
suming, at the lowest computation, over 60,000 pounds 
weight of fish per diem, let alone other kinds of food. 
As soon as the brilliant Oriole and active Swallow, 
acting as heralds, bring the news that the wanderers 
from the north and north-east are preparing for the usual 
journey, these hospitable spots begin to receive their 
winter guests, as they arrive in swift succession. Quails 
make their appearance in such numbers that a good shot 
