208 " CREWE JUNCTION " OF THE NILE binocular shows clearly his fierce, yellow eye, gazing unbUnkingly in the strong light, while the white head and shoulders of the great fish-eagle cause him to be marked from afar. The undersurface of his feet are peculiarly rough, resembling intensified sand-paper, and thus are specially adapted to the grasping of fish.

Over the trees to the eastward are nine slanting projections, each topped by four tiny knobs. They seem stilted and stiff, and stand out well defined in the landscape ; these are giraffe, which are seen here in plenty.

Teal appear in great numbers, and form a refreshing change of diet. The sand-banks are often covered vnth vast crowds of these birds and Egyptian geese resting awhile, showing a forest of necks, all turned together in the same direction, as is the manner of wild-fowl.

A little mouse-brown bird haunts the edge of the rushes ; it rises as the steamer approaches, and appears transformed to a pure white one as it flies a little way along, then disappears into its unprominent hue again as it settles.

The forest where it touches the winding river is everywhere greatly broken down by elephants ; a walk through thick bush showed hundreds of acres which had so suffered. No very fresh elephant spoor was visible, but that of antelope and lion was in plenty, and the remains of a kill demonstrated the recent visit of the latter. Quite recently I had met an Austrian gentleman who