DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11789#0061
PADDY BIRDS.
51
■who were chiefly Arabs, would leap into the canal,
and with many cries push her off again. At Atfih,
where the canal joins the Nile, wre left the tow-,
boat, and went on board a steamboat of larger
dimensions and more respectable appearance. Hav-
ing heard that the Nile was now at about its lowest
point, I was somewhat surprised to see so large an
expanse of waters in this (the Rosetta) branch or
arm of the river. The seven mouths or outlets so
celebrated among the ancients are now, it may be
said, reduced to two, the Rosetta and Damietta
branches; for although there are in all about a
dozen outlets, the others are so small and insignifi-
cant as scarcely to deserve any notice. Every-
where along the banks of the river, or not far dis-
tant from them, we could see towering palm-trees,
many of them higher than any that I had observed
in the vicinity of Alexandria. Along the shore of
the river were multitudes of water birds and cranes.
I recollect particularly observing great numbers of
one species of crane, which was as white as snow.
It is called the paddy, or rice bird, and is said to
frequent the rice fields in India, whence its name.
Soon after we had left Atfih, and begun to ascend
the Nile, we perceived near the shore on our left
something resembling the horns of an ox moving
51
■who were chiefly Arabs, would leap into the canal,
and with many cries push her off again. At Atfih,
where the canal joins the Nile, wre left the tow-,
boat, and went on board a steamboat of larger
dimensions and more respectable appearance. Hav-
ing heard that the Nile was now at about its lowest
point, I was somewhat surprised to see so large an
expanse of waters in this (the Rosetta) branch or
arm of the river. The seven mouths or outlets so
celebrated among the ancients are now, it may be
said, reduced to two, the Rosetta and Damietta
branches; for although there are in all about a
dozen outlets, the others are so small and insignifi-
cant as scarcely to deserve any notice. Every-
where along the banks of the river, or not far dis-
tant from them, we could see towering palm-trees,
many of them higher than any that I had observed
in the vicinity of Alexandria. Along the shore of
the river were multitudes of water birds and cranes.
I recollect particularly observing great numbers of
one species of crane, which was as white as snow.
It is called the paddy, or rice bird, and is said to
frequent the rice fields in India, whence its name.
Soon after we had left Atfih, and begun to ascend
the Nile, we perceived near the shore on our left
something resembling the horns of an ox moving