o f one point or dot, in the Arabic language, is sufficient to make bufula, b u k u la ; nay more, what is bukula in the west, is written the same in the east, and pronounced bufula, for the k o f the western Arabs is the * o f the eastern. But the curlew is called bukula, and the white heron, or egret, bufula in the east as well as in the west. The Bustard abounds in the provinces o f Temsena, Beni- hassen, and D u qu ella ; some are also found in Abda and Suse: being a shy bird, the Arabs approach it gradually, and in a c ir cular lin e : when the y reach within a hundred yards, the y fall down, and creep along the ground gently till they come within shot. T h e flesh o f this bird is much esteemed, and is considered an acceptable present b y men o f highrank T h e Stork [B 'e lh a r g c .) -T h e general colour o f the stork’s plumage is white, the extremities o f the wings being tipped w ith black ; the y are from two to three feet in height from the eet to the bill. During the summer, the old towns o f West Barbary are frequented b y these birds, which go generally in pairs: th e y are migratory, and when they do not return to their usual haunts at the accustomed season, it is considered ominous o f e v il. A n y person that should presume to shoot this sacred bird, would incur the resentment o f the whole city, and -be accounted a sacrilegious in fid e l; for, besides being o f the greatest u t ility in destroying serpents and other noxious re p tiles, they are also emblematical o f faith and conjugal affection, and on that account held, in the highest estimation b y all true Mooselmin, T h e y build their nests, which are curious, on the Curlews of the ancients; birds on which antiquity conferred the h ip e s t honours Travels^1 ^ * * W°U'd n°‘ « N l S °P™°n- Vide Sonini’s' The Partridge. 121 top o f some old tower or castle, or on the terraces o f uninhabited houses, where the y constantly watch their young, exposed to the scorching rays o f the sun. T h e y w ill not suffer any one to approach their nests. T he cities and towns o f Mequinas, Fas, Marocco, Muley Driss Zerone, Rabat, Salée, El Araiche, Azamore, and Saffy, are annually visited by the stork ; there are none at Mogodor, it being not on ly a new town, but situated on a peninsula, at the extrem ity o f vast heaps o f moving sand, which separate it from the cultivated country, and prevent serpents and other noxious animals from harbouring there. The Partridge.— This beautiful bird abounds in eve ry part o f West Barbary ; it is larger, and finer feathered than that o f Europe ; the legs are red. T he Moors have a peculiar manner o f hunting the partridge : in the p lains o f Akkerniute and jib b e l Hedded,in Shedma, they take various kinds o f dogs with them, from the greyhound to the shepherd’s dog, and following the birds, on horseback, and allowing them no time to rest, they soon fatigue them, when they are taken b y the d o g s : but as the Mooselmin eats nothing but what has had its throat cut, he takes out his knife, and exclaiming (Bismillah), “ In the name o f God,” cuts the throat o f the game, and by letting it bleed destroys the fla v o u r ; for this reason game is not esteemed at the repasts o f the Arabs, where mutton and beef are p referred; lamb and veal are unlawful, it being an injunction o f the Mo- hammedanlaw to eat nothing till it is full grown, which is one cause o f the great quantity o f cattle which feed in the plains. E l Rogr.— This bird is similar to the English partridge, having however darker p lum a g e ; it is found only in arid stony places, where the shrubs are stunted, and in all (harushe) plains B,
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