Chapter XVI · SOME NOTES ON SPORT AND NATURAL HISTORY

The Libyan Desert as a Sporting Region — The Dorcas Gazelle — Snipe — Wild-Fowl — The Local Sportsmen — An all-night Sitting — Quail — Sand-Grouse — Rock-Pigeons — Turtle-Doves — Various — Striped Hyæna — Jackals — Three Species of Fox — The Desert Fox — The True Fennec.

Sportsmen who reckon the success and pleasures of a shooting expedition only by the contents of the resulting bag are advised to give a wide berth to the Libyan Desert, as in that arid region—with the exception of one restricted area far removed from the oasis under description—no game is to be found which cannot be obtained far more easily, and in much greater quantities, in the cultivated plains of the Nile Valley and on the adjoining desert margins. On the other hand, the sportsman who does not regard too seriously the actual head of game brought to bag, and who has no objection to hard work, will find in the oases undoubted attractions in the way of rough sport. Provided with a few camels to carry the necessary impedimenta, so as to be rendered independent and able to wander about at will, a very enjoyable time can be spent exploring the various isolated portions of the depression where gazelles abound, and visiting the numerous outlying wells where wild-fowl, snipe, quail, sand-grouse, and rock-pigeons are to be met with in fair quantities.

The little Dorcas gazelle ranges over the whole of the Libyan Desert. On the plateau, owing to the extreme scarcity and scantiness of vegetation, gazelles seldom remain in the same locality for any length of time, and even when met with can rarely be approached, owing to the open nature of the country. In the more fertile oases-depressions they are to be seen in far greater numbers, especially in the outlying portions where large tracts are covered with coarse grasses, tamarisk, and other kinds of scrub. After nightfall they frequently descend to the cultivated lands to browse on the crops, almost invariably retiring to the outlying desert areas at the first traces of dawn, though I recollect on one occasion bringing a laggard to bag very early in the morning on the edge of a barley-field at Um el Dabâdib. Gazelles are, in fact, seldom to be seen, unless carefully sought for in their special haunts; one might remain for months in the inhabited portions of the depression and only be aware of their existence from occasionally meeting with their spoor.

It is advisable when hunting gazelles to pitch camp at some distance from their grazing grounds, as they are extremely wary, and not to be approached once they have taken alarm. Extensive tracts of uninhabited, scrub-covered desert, like those to the north of Ain el Qasr, affording ample supplies of food, and undisturbed by man, are the favourite haunts of these extremely shy animals. For shooting this district an excellent camping-ground will be found on the edge of the scrub in the neighbourhood of Qasr Gyb, an ancient ruin conspicuously perched on the summit of a conical hillock, about 20 kilometres north of Meheriq. The dead parts of the scrub supply an abundance of fuel, and good water is obtainable by clearing out a section of the ancient underground aqueduct lying a short distance to the south. From the shelter of any of the higher clumps of vegetation one can, with the aid of field-glasses, keep a careful look-out over the surrounding scrub-covered country, and, once gazelles have been located, getting within range is merely a matter of patience and careful stalking. After sighting the quarry, it is best to proceed alone, as natives have an exasperating way of exposing themselves at the most critical moments. On my last visit to the north of the oasis there were a good many gazelles about, including a herd of some seven or eight; it was, however, quite impossible to get within 500 yards of these, but I had better luck with a solitary couple a few kilometres to the north of the old ruin, both of which I succeeded in bagging.

The Dorcas gazelle is one of the smallest and fleetest of the antelopes. When full grown, the buck stands about 22 inches high at the shoulder, the horns in my best head—not, however, shot in Kharga—measuring exactly 13 inches. Properly cooked, its flesh is excellent, and certainly superior to the average Egyptian mutton.

For snipe the best time is from December to February, though I have shot odd birds as early as October and as late as April. Both the full and the jack snipe are to be met with, their favourite feeding-grounds being the rice-stubbles immediately after the crops have been harvested, and before the ground has had time to get hard and dry. In the cold weather, however, almost any wet patch—and there are numerous small bogs at the lower ends of the paddy-fields and alongside leaky irrigation channels—will yield one or two couple. Formerly there was a very useful bit of ground at Ain el Tawîl, but the best place of all is close to the village of Gennâh, where a reedy bog of considerable size at times positively swarms with snipe. This place is rather difficult to shoot, and I used to consider I had done well if four or five couple were gathered.

Pools of various size, formed by drainage waters from the cultivated lands, are found scattered throughout the oasis, and in the early morning or late evening hours quite a respectable bag of wild-fowl can sometimes, with a little luck, be secured. I say sometimes advisedly, as where duck are concerned one has to compete with the local sportsmen, whose name is legion. Mallard, teal, and shoveller ducks are the most common, though several of the other species commonly found in the Nile Valley are also to be met with in the oasis.

The keenness of the Kharga sportsmen is well illustrated by the following incident: Encamped on one occasion for a week or two near the village, I was in the habit of pottering about of an evening with my gun, visiting the two or three pools within easy walking distance of the tents; but although there were a good many wild-fowl about, these had been worried to such an extent that they only remained on the ponds during the darkest hours of the night, preferring, indeed, to pass the day in solitude in the open desert than to turn themselves into targets for the never-ending practice of the local Nimrods. Thinking to get the better of both duck and natives, I made arrangements to visit a pool about three miles distant from the village, starting at an hour early enough to enable me to take up a good stand before daybreak. Fortified by biscuits and hot cocoa, I and my faithful retainer, Mohammed Abu Salem, left camp one chilly morning about three, riding the best part of the way on camels, over the roughest country imaginable. Half a mile from the pool we dismounted, and I proceeded alone on foot across cultivated lands, on which, to my astonishment, ploughing was already in progress, though it was still dark, wanting a full hour to dawn. Slowly and with some difficulty I made my way towards the thin streak of light that I knew marked the position of the pool, which in my mind’s eye I already pictured as covered with duck. Presently, to my surprise and disgust, a shot rang out; but this was nothing to my astonishment a few moments later, when, just as I was getting up to the water, a regular broadside was discharged. There seemed to be gunners all over the place, and my only concern now was to get out of their way as speedily as possible; so, ensconcing myself behind a small sand-hill, I lighted a pipe and awaited further developments. By careful manœuvring I was able to watch in moderate safety the glassy surface of the pond, and did not have to wait long before I heard a rattle of wings, followed by the swoop on to the water. No sooner had the birds alighted than they were greeted with a fusillade from all sides of the pool, after which silence once more reigned supreme. This performance was repeated every time duck or coot made their appearance, and few escaped the effects of the deadly cross-fire to which they were subjected.

When daylight appeared I counted over a dozen gunners squatting round the pond, although the latter measured no more than 120 to 130 yards across its widest part. They were armed with every sort of weapon, from the latest thing in cheap European breech-loaders to the most antiquated form of flint-lock, the barrel of the latter type of gun being usually of great length, and not unlike a piece of gas-pipe. As soon as daylight was sufficiently advanced, the natives proceeded to gather the slain, the bulk of the bag being made up of coots, which at night have a habit of deserting the depths of the rice-fields for a swim and change of food on the open pools. Each man seized the birds he considered had fallen to his gun, and I was struck by the small amount of squabbling which took place over the division of the spoil, most of the bickering having reference to complaints of being peppered, though the wonder was that no one had been killed, or even seriously hurt. As soon as everything was satisfactorily adjusted the majority of the men, having salaamed and expressed surprise at my presence, made off towards the village, only a few of the keener spirits remaining on the chance of further sport. To my delight, a flight of duck shortly afterwards put in an appearance, and I was able to score by bagging a couple as they passed suspiciously over the pond. The laugh was now on my side, as I need hardly say that the native never risks wasting his powder and shot on birds on the wing, and after some mutual banter they departed, leaving me in possession of the field.

Quantities of quail pass through the oasis on their annual migration from north to south and on their return journey in the opposite direction. The best bags can be made in the spring, when the corn is commencing to ripen, but sport is usually rendered difficult owing to the number of natives at work in the fields. The local sportsmen do not seem to consider quail worthy of their attention, probably because the birds so seldom show themselves except when on the wing. A good many are, however, secured by the peasants in traps.

Sand-grouse are to be met with in many parts of the depression, more especially near the outlying sparsely cultivated spots, the commonest variety found being one of the pin-tailed species. The sandy country round Gennâh is perhaps the best district. Rock-pigeons frequent the cultivated lands of Bellaida, to the north of the village of Kharga, and have their homes in the rocky fastnesses of Jebel Têr and Jebel Tarif, breeding in perfect security in the fissures which traverse the limestone rocks of those hills. Turtle-doves are found in the more wooded portions of the oasis, their favourite haunts being the old spreading acacias which line the water-channels and mark the sources of the ancient wells. Although not as a rule regarded as coming into the category of game-birds, turtle-doves are by no means to be despised when one has failed to replenish the larder from ordinary sources. When disturbed in their favourite haunts, the birds fly rapidly from tree to tree, and shooting has to be both straight and quick if anything of a bag is to be made. In addition to these an occasional plover or water-hen may be met with and be considered as worthy of record in the ‘various’ column of the game diary.

In the Nile Valley the striped hyæna has often afforded me a day’s amusement if not actual sport, but this animal is certainly not a resident in the oasis, though on rare occasions an individual crosses the plateau and remains for a few days within the depression. Jackals are common, though not nearly so numerous as in the neighbouring oasis of Dakhla. At night they prowl about the outskirts of the villages, and the din that a single couple can make must be heard to be believed. The cry is most weird, consisting of a succession of long melancholy wails, each one a little higher pitched than the preceding, followed finally by a quick succession of sharp yelps or barks.

Of foxes there appear to be three species in Egypt, the largest and best known being a variety of the common fox (Canis vulpes, subsp. ægyptiaca). Although this animal frequently makes its home on the margins of the bordering deserts, it is never found at any great distance from the villages of the Nile Valley, to which it invariably descends at dusk, returning to its lair in the early morning after spending the night roaming the cultivated lands in search of food. The smaller desert fox, or fennec (Canis famelicus), is found not only on the desert margins, but throughout the interior plateaux and depressions. A true denizen of the desert, this animal seldom approaches the abodes of man, and probably never penetrates into the cultivated lands on either side of the Nile. Thirdly, there is the diminutive little fox, the true fennec (Canis zerda), which, although found throughout the interior of the Libyan Desert tableland, is especially abundant in the oases-depressions.

Of this beautiful species the late Dr. Anderson, in his ‘Zoology of Egypt,’ wrote: “There is no authentic record of the Fennec having been discovered in a wild state by any European traveller. All the specimens which have been brought home have been obtained from Arabs.” This fox is, it is true, a very shy animal, so much so that during the course of many years’ work in almost every part of the Libyan Desert I never had the good fortune to observe one in its natural haunts, though its burrows were often met with, and my men at night occasionally succeeded in securing specimens in traps.

During the last year or two, however, while resident in Kharga Oasis, I have been more fortunate, having frequently observed these interesting little animals sitting near the entrances to their burrows or sniffing about in search of food on areas sparsely dotted with desert vegetation. Several pairs had burrows within a few kilometres of my headquarters, and were, I believe, responsible for fowls that disappeared from time to time from our farm-yard. Mr. P. von Adametz kept one of these tiny foxes in the mess for some time, but this particular animal, which had been caught in the neighbourhood of Meheriq, was evidently too old to become tame. Fennecs probably subsist mainly on desert gerbils and jerboas, which are always to be found in large numbers in those portions of the desert where vegetation is at all plentiful.