Chapter V: Part 5

It is a really handsome bird in colour, the peculiar mass of light lilac blue-grey feathers of the wing contrasting vividly with the chestnut of the sides. Indeed, I do not know any duck that is superior to it in its vividly contrasting coloration. Although it is in form clumsy-looking, it is anything but clumsy or slow in getting up and on the wing, and I own to having been beaten often at pools similar to those described in reference to the Pintail, by the quickness and pace of its flight. The last visit I paid to the Cairo Zoological Gardens in March 1909, the ornamental waters there were crowded with duck, nearly all Shovellers. All had come in of their own accord, flew freely, and would, so Mr. Nicoll informed me, shortly all be up and away till another season came round. And in the most interesting report of the _Wild Birds of the Giza Gardens_ just published, figures are given. "A few Shovellers arrive, in some years, as early as August, and they become more and more numerous during the autumn and winter. Some leave here in March, but the majority do so in April." "Up to 1902 twenty was the largest number of Shovellers seen, at one time, on our lake. On the 18th of January 1903, 171 were counted; on the 6th of March 1905, 443. Since then it is estimated that over 500 Shovellers take up their winter quarters with us."

THE TEAL

Querquedula crecca

Arabic, _Sharshare_

Head and neck chestnut-brown; a patch of green encircles the eyes
and cheeks, a light buff streak divides the green from the brown;
neck, back, and flanks grey, composed of delicate alternate black
and white wavy lines. Scapulars white with rich black on their
outer webs; green metallic bar on wing; under-parts white; breast
spotted with buffish-black; under-tail coverts a clear, brilliant
yellow-buff; beak and legs black; eyes brown. The female looks
smaller than the male, and is a sober-coloured brown bird, with
darker, almost black, markings. Length, 15·5 inches.

As far as my own experience goes, I have never seen any really large flock of duck, of whatever kind, but there have been Teal among them. I do not care to say that I think this is the very commonest of all the duck tribe. It is certainly met with very frequently, but Captain Shelley holds that it is absolutely "the most abundant species of water-fowl throughout Egypt," and possibly he is right. It is the same smart little bird we have at home, and the male has, when showing off, a most attractive appearance, of which it is fully aware, as is shown by its jaunty carriage. Of all duck, this is the quickest off the mark; how it does it one can hardly see, but it leaves the water in one second, apparently at top speed, as if it had been going for some minutes. As with the Shoveller this duck comes in great numbers to the Cairo Zoological Gardens, and the ready intelligence it shows in remaining in full sight of men and flying close over their heads whilst in the Gardens, and the wary care it shows the moment it is outside the sanctuary, is most interesting. On wall-paintings I am told it is depicted, but I am not certain that I have ever seen its small form shown; in the matter of relative size of living and other objects, these old craftsmen were curiously capricious. A notable illustration of this is in the way they portrayed the wives of the heroic Rameses statues, where you will find the lady shown coming up only to the knee-joint of her gigantic lord and master. When they treated royal ladies in this way, it is useless to expect great accuracy in the matter of rendering the various relative sizes of humble water-fowl! Teal may be seen in nearly all the winter months amongst the Coot at the Sacred Lake at Karnak, and at many other places guarded by the Antiquities Department. Mr. Nicoll writes: "Several hundred Teal winter on the lake in the Gardens (Zoological). In some years a few of them arrive as early as the latter part of August, and they have been known to stay as late as the 8th of May."

THE WHITE PELICAN

Pelecanus Onocrotalus

General colour of plumage a rosy white; the larger flight-feathers
of wing, black; beak grey; pouch, a bright yellow; eyes red. Entire
length, 60 inches.

The Pelican has the honour of being, in Egypt, as far as sheer length of wing goes, the largest bird that flies; for the span of wings from tip to tip has been recorded as twelve feet. I believe the span of the Griffon Vulture is only about eight feet. Thirty years ago Pelicans were more often seen than they are to-day. This does not necessarily mean that they are less numerous, but only that, from some cause or another, they do not come within range of observation. I think the traffic on the river having so altered is the probable explanation. I can only recall one case of late, of seeing Pelican on a sandbank, and that was very early in the morning, practically daybreak. Years ago it was not an uncommon thing to see hundreds resting and recruiting on some lonely reach of the river. Captain Shelley says that in "April 1870, below Edfoo, we met with an immense flock of several

thousands, passing low along the river on their way north, and although fired at several times they still kept streaming onwards in one continuous flock." Nowadays you will quite possibly see immense flocks going south in November, or north in the spring, but they will all be flying high and well out of gun-shot. The largest flock I ever saw was in December of 1907 when living at Deir-el-Bahari. I was working outside the hut there, when some noise made me look up, and I saw an amazing sight, hundreds and hundreds of these great birds flying round and round in circles high above the chalk cliff. This was about 2 P.M., and they remained thus slowly circling round and round till nearly 5 P.M., when gradually in small detachments they dwindled away, flying in a southerly direction. At times they came sufficiently low for me to see distinctly the yellow pouch hanging from the under-bill, but then again they would rise in great spiral curves to such a height that even with my pet glass they were almost invisible. With every new curve they showed some alteration of colour, so that sometimes they seemed a coral pink all over, and then again with some altered angle in relation to the sun they were a pure snow white. The two hours or more that they were over just this one spot where Queen Hatshepsut's temple stands, I worked hard at trying to sketch them till my eyes got blinded by staring up into the blue, and aching with trying to follow some individual bird sweeping right above my head. None but those who have tried it knows what an exhausting thing this is; every bird is changing its place continually, one after another comes sweeping by, turning, rising, falling, interlacing, till one has to absolutely cease looking and close one's weary eyes. I heard later the rumour that this great flock rested the night on the top of one of the hills a mile farther back, and at dawn were all away south.

Where, however, they can be still seen throughout the winter months and comparatively close at hand is on Lake Menzaleh. I saw them there in March, but by the 12th of April I could not see a single bird. The wonderful colour, a pale coral pink, that they show under the bright Egyptian sky, is something of a surprise to those who have only seen faded stuffed specimens in a museum, or the woebegone individuals in a menagerie. No one interested in birds should neglect the Cairo Zoological Gardens at Giza; there you will see all sorts of hot climate beasts and birds in the perfection of condition that they never show in our colder climes. And the colour that the Pelican displays under these perfect conditions is a revelation. To the most casual it appears pinkish, but to the artistic and observant the brilliance of the carmine-pink revealed in the shadows, and the shell-like delicacy of colour of the feathers seen in full sunlight, is simply charming. I regret, however, that no amount of artistic enthusiasm can ever find anything else to praise in its personal appearance, as it really is most desperately ugly. It is said, however, to be virtuous, and is to this day used as a symbol of beautiful self-sacrifice, and as an ecclesiastical emblem of the feeding of the Holy Catholic Church.[7]

[7] I regret, however, to have to write that this idea of self-sacrifice is really all bunkum. The tradition is, that when hard up, and the offspring were calling out for the food that was not, the mother bird would lacerate her own bosom and with her own life-blood feed and save her loved ones. Ages ago some poor, short-sighted man got this extraordinary notion from apparently watching the way the young are fed. The Pelican belongs to an order of birds that disgorges the food it has caught, in this case fish, into the upturned mouths of the young. Had this first short-sighted one only known that the Pelican's Hebrew name Kâath means "to vomit," this bird would hardly have been accredited with virtues it does not possess, or been painted, sculptured, and enshrined in thousands of holy places.

As a child I was much troubled with "the Pelican in the wilderness," but recently have been greatly relieved to hear, on the best authority, that though it says "wilderness" quite distinctly, it doesn't, you know, mean wilderness at all; the ordinary wilderness means a sandy, deserty sort of place, but this wilderness, we are told, means a wet sort of watery place. How nice it is to have these clear explanations from the best authorities of all those mysteries that darkened our early years! The Pelican lives entirely on fish, and is therefore never far from water. Considering its rather clumsy form it is fairly agile, and it has been noted that it can and does perch freely on boughs that bend and swing with its weight when at large, and that in captivity at the London Zoological Gardens one habitually used to perch on the thin corrugated wire fence that bisects their small enclosure, an almost acrobatic feat one would not have expected it capable of performing.

In books the statement has been made and often repeated that the Pelican breeds in Egypt, and my visit to Lake Menzaleh was very much taken just to settle whether it and Flamingoes did or did not breed there. I found they did not, and I should think it is very unlikely that they ever did, as though the lake is large the fact that fishermen's boats go all over it would hardly make it a safe place for these big birds ever to nest in.

THE CORMORANT

Phalacrocorax carbo

Arabic, _Agag_

Plumage dark bluish-black over head, breast, body; dull
greenish-brown on wings, each feather margined with a darker tone;
a pure white patch on cheeks, and another on the flanks; feathers
on top of head elongated and edged with white; beak black at tip,
yellow at base; part of the pouch which is without feathers, blue;
legs black; eyes green. Length, 36 inches.

This is not a bird one would expect to see far away from the salt water, but there is anyhow one colony of them up the Nile at Gebel Abû Fêada--and any one going up the Nile must pass right by their breeding-place--and the birds in general seem to work rather south of that point than to the north. In March 1908 I saw them twice; once, near Manfalût, a string of six flew low over the water in single file so near that one could with the glass see the very hook at the end of their long bills. Perhaps no point on the river is quite so magnificent as these cliffs of Abû Fêada--the water rushes by their very feet, and their tops tower high in beautifully broken forms. The limestones of which they are formed seem to have weathered and perished more than in other parts, and honeycombed masses, and caves large and small, are visible everywhere on its nearly perpendicular sides. It is in these caves that birds have found a happy nesting-ground, and the extent of the deposit of guano in them shows that they have inhabited them for centuries.

The guide-books tell of these high cliffs--"sudden gusts of wind from the mountain often render great precaution necessary in sailing beneath them"; and on the last occasion of passing there was evidence of this, as a regular gale came on us just as we were passing and drove us along at a great pace. This wildness is similar to the wild windiness of the sea-coast, and the Cormorants may in this fact find some attraction to this inland home. But I should think it is far more likely still, that the founders of that colony were birds that had been reared in some of the other breeding-places that exist in the great Salt Lakes of Lower Egypt, and that by some chance taking to the river, which at Menzaleh would not be more than a mile or two away, found that the river fish were excellent, that life was pleasant, and the cliffs suitable for safely nesting in. "Stomach rules the world" is

On the Nile at Gebel Aboofayda.]

as true of bird life as any other. Elsewhere I have referred to the beauty and charm of Lake Menzaleh to all naturalists, and I do really think that to get anything like a complete view of Egyptian bird life a visit ought to be paid to some one or other of the lakes, and of course Menzaleh is far and away the best and biggest. But though I suggest a visit, I would not care to have it understood I recommend it as a health resort or place to live in. I write this here, because there are two considerable Cormorant rookeries or breeding-stations that I visited on Lake Menzaleh--there may be others I did not find, but these two I did find, and they will ever live in my memory as the most poisonous plots of earth I have ever stood on. I have been to Cormorant rookeries before, and well know that they don't smell like rose-gardens. The peculiarity of this great lake is, that it is, and always has been, a great drainage-bed for the whole of Egypt. The result of having been a drainage-bed for all these untold years is that when you stick a pole, or your oar, into the mud and then pull it out, you seem to all at once take the cork out of a bottle containing the most appalling stinks and gases that ever were engendered. One day I was stalking Cormorants on a long flat island of irregular shape, and came to a point where I had to cross about ten or fifteen yards of water. The island was in the middle of the lake, and far away from town or village, and without thinking of consequences I took my boots off and started to wade across. The first step or two was on the shallow shelly shore, but three or four feet and I sank into mud, and as at each step I lifted my feet I let loose ten thousand legions of ancient stinks, the water bubbled and fizzled with them, and even slimy, blear-eyed, unwholesome fish slunk hurriedly away. Reaching the other side, I looked for some clean water to wash my feet, and did so; but it was awkward, as I had to hold my boots and socks in one hand and my nose in the other; but wash as I would the atrocious smell would not go, and I declined to put those evil-smelling things into my boots, and I couldn't take my feet off; so there I was--the whole island was a swamp, couldn't sit down anywhere, all puddles and wet, and the more I dabbled and washed the more it seemed to stir up new combinations of flavours never before conceived. So I shouted and shouted, and at last one of the crew heard, and brought out the small boat and rescued me; most mercifully I had carbolic soap with me, and so managed to at last get clean. The lake is nowhere very deep, but is absolutely full of fish; you constantly see them jumping out of the water for a breath of fresh air, and I don't blame them. The pools have crowds of small fry, and the larvæ of thousands of insects; indeed, it is "a heaven for mosquitoes and a damp hell for men." It is this extraordinary profusion of life bred in the water that causes it to be such a fine feeding-ground for the birds, but everything that comes out of that lake is slimy and smelling. In April, when I was at Menzaleh, the birds had not begun nesting, but there was every sign of quite a big Cormorant colony. I counted the sites of more than twenty nests on one island alone, and I saw Cormorants off and on nearly every day of my two weeks' stay.

Needless to say, the Cormorant is entirely a fish-feeding bird, and usually lives on or near the sea. The fact that a colony has been for so long now established up the river is certainly interesting, and it will be curious to see if these new great water-works do cause any further extension of their area. Mr. Erskine Nicol told me he saw two Cormorants flying down the river in February of this year (1909), at Luxor--one was an adult bird showing a very white head,--and that within his seventeen years of residence he did not think he had ever seen them so far up as Luxor before. The young birds have no pure white on the head, and have the breast a more or less dull greyish-white.

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL

Larus fuscus

Back and wings dark slaty blackish grey; primaries black, with a
large white spot on first primary near the point; rest of plumage
pure white; legs and gill yellow, latter with a red spot on lower
mandible; eyes yellow, eyelids red. Length, 23 inches.

In all probability whenever a gull is seen it is most likely to be this one, as in my experience throughout Egypt it is, I think, the commonest of all. The next in order is the Black-headed Gull, but, unfortunately, in the winter months it is without its black cap, which causes it to escape notice.

The Gulls do on the water what the Kites do on the land--they act as scavengers; and it matters not whether you are arriving at Alexandria or on board a steamer at Assoan, you will, alike from end to end of Egypt, find these birds busy, searching for every scrap of waste thrown into the river, which river is the main drain of the country. The use that these birds are is therefore enormous, and they, in common with Vultures and Kites, ought to be protected and on no account shot. This year of 1909 I have seen more of these three species shot than ever before. The wily native who stalks up and down outside hotels with a gun slung over his shoulder, and seizes on unwary newcomers with great promises of apocryphal quail- and snipe-shooting, frequently--so that his patron shall not come home without any bag at all--suggests shooting every poor inoffensive bird within range. That done, the poor Kite or Gull is borne home, and laid out on the hotel steps for the further honour, glory, and kudos of the native shekarry.

It should always be remembered that the immature birds of most species differ materially from the adult: this is the case with all the Gulls, and, I own, makes their identification a matter of considerable difficulty. In the young there is no pure white and pearly grey plumage, but they are dirty-coloured, brown-spotted, rather uninteresting-looking birds, but as they have just as ravenous an appetite as their parents, and as they satisfy that appetite with the filth that is thrown out of a scavenger's basket, they are fully as useful as the more attractively plumaged adults. Where they can get it, they like fish before anything, be it the sprat of the clear ocean water, or the sweepings of the fish-market. At Damietta, where there is a great

On the river at Cairo.]

fish-market and salted fish is sent away all over Egypt, the offal from the gutted fish is simply thrown out on to the shore, and work as hard as the Gulls do, they cannot clear all away that is daily added to this pestilential heap. Wherever Gulls come into a scene they add a sort of lightness and brightness to it. This is often felt at sea, where, after days and days of dreary water, at last some Gulls appear and give the needed brightening touch, and wherever they are seen their white wings make a charming point of contrast. Those who know London know what a boon they are to the leaden Thames, and even in sunny Egypt they are a welcome addition to river scenery.

THE BLACK-HEADED GULL

Larus ridibundus

General plumage white below, wings a delicate lavender grey, the
large flight-feathers black and white at their tips; head and
throat in breeding dress, a dark brown, in winter white; legs and
beak red; eyes brown. Length, 15 inches.

This ought to be called the Brown-headed Gull, as the colour is never black. In winter the whole head is practically white, and it is in that plumage that most visitors to Egypt will alone see it.

It is a very lively little Gull; its flight is much lighter than the preceding, and when several are together they can hardly ever keep quiet for long, but from time to time give vent to their peculiar cry, which by some has been likened to the sound of laughter.

Captain Shelley says that, in a year where there was a terrible scourge of locusts, these Gulls were present in large flocks busily engaged in devouring these mischievous insects. In that way, and in the ordinary scavenger work that they share with all other Gulls, they are of great use to the country and should be protected.

I have seen them in ones and twos everywhere up and down the river, but the larger flocks are only to be seen at the great lakes of the Fayoum or along the coast, and I particularly remember, because of the weirdness of the surroundings, one occasion when I saw large flocks on the shores of the Red Sea. It was at Kosseir, and the coast there is alternately gently shelving sandy shore, and jutting-out, flat-topped rocky reefs. To one of these reefs I went as the tide was leaving them exposed, whilst flocks of Gulls and Waders were waiting for their evening meal.

The rock plateau going right out to sea was a coral reef, and the way in which pools led one into another by tunnels was most strange. Then the depths of some were great, as I found by sounding with a long rod, and some were past all sounding and seemed bottomless. It was evening when I got there, and soon became dark night, and it was then that the peculiar beauty of these pools came out, whilst the great flocks of Gulls and some Duck found new delights in them as the receding sea gave them more feeding-ground. Every pool was lighted up by the strange glowing eyes of some cuttle-fish--ever-moving, these jewel-like blue-green lights went passing round and round, sometimes the one becoming two as a turn of its head permitted my seeing both eyes, and then with another curve the two were one. Sometimes these strange lights were very very faint, but as I stood still they came nearer and nearer, and with my eyes riveted on them a most curious illusion followed. Nearer, nearer, stronger, more strong, these strange weird eyes advanced and crept up farther and farther, till time after time it was hard to believe that these glowing orbs had not left the water and were advancing right up to my own face. All the time the quiet of the place was only broken by the curious laughing-like call of the Gulls, and the shrill piping and whistling of the dark, shadowy shore birds.

Besides Gulls, the visitors to the Nile may see Terns, for there are some seven or eight species, but naturally these birds keep nearer the sea than elsewhere, yet it is pleasant to cherish the hope, founded on frequent reports, that Terns as well as several other birds that love the water are somewhat extending their area. Owing to the new barrage schemes making great permanent inland lakes which never existed before, the birds find a new home suitable to them, and which they have already begun to show they thoroughly appreciate. At home and in many other countries, the great reservoirs which supply the cities have always been favourite bird haunts, and it seems that here is one more benefit bestowed on Egypt consequent on British occupation. When at Lake Menzaleh this last winter, one of the most wonderful sights was the number of Terns, and on one occasion when I was trying to get near to Flamingo, a great flock of many hundreds of the large Caspian Tern came near enough for identification.

LIST OF BIRDS

Although the scope of this work is only to point out, by pictures, to the unlearned what birds he will most likely see during a winter in Egypt, yet I have felt that it would be wise to give a list of all the birds, as far as known; for some, turning to these pages, may desire to learn if some one or other bird which they did not see amongst my necessarily limited selection of pictured birds, was an Egyptian bird or not. In the preparation of this list, it goes without saying, I have been constantly indebted to that book, _A Handbook to the Birds of Egypt_, which, published so long ago as 1872 by Captain C. E. Shelley, still remains the one classic on this subject, and I have adopted, as far as possible, his names for all the birds mentioned. In addition, year after year, some small knowledge has accumulated of new birds, not known in that day to visit this country, and I am particularly indebted to Mr. M. J. Nicoll, assistant-director of the Government Zoological Gardens, Giza, for helping me to make this list as complete as possible.

LIST OF THE BIRDS OF EGYPT

1. The Golden Eagle (_Aquila fulva_). Rare, Upper and Lower Egypt.

2. The Imperial Eagle (_Aquila imperialis_). Lower Egypt.

3. White-tailed Eagle (_Haliaetus albicilla_). Lower Egypt.

4. Tawny Eagle (_Aquila naevoides_). Rare, Upper and Lower Egypt.

5. Spotted Eagle (_Aquila naevia_). Not very uncommon in both.

6. Bonelli's Eagle (_Aquila bonelli_). Very rare.

7. Booted Eagle (_Aquila tennata_). A summer visitor.

8. Short-toed Eagle (_Circaetus gallicus_). Rare.

9. Osprey (_Pandion haliaetus_). Fairly common in Nile Valley.

10. Southern Bearded Vulture (_Gypaetus nudipes_). Said to breed in
Mokattam mountains.

11. Black Vulture (_Vultur monachus_). Fairly common in Nile
Valley.

12. Sociable Vulture (_Vultur auricularis_). Fairly common.

13. Griffon Vulture (_Gyps fulvus_). Common.

14. Egyptian Vulture (_Neophron percnopterus_). Common.

15. Marsh-Harrier (_Circus aeruginosus_). Not uncommon in Lower
Egypt.

16. Hen Harrier (_Circus cyaneus_). Rare.

17. Pale-chested Harrier (_Circus pallidus_). Not uncommon
throughout country.

18. Montagu's Harrier (_Circus cineraceus_). Rare.

19. Little Red-billed Hawk (_Accipiter gabar_). Very rare.

20. Peregrine Falcon (_Falco peregrinus_). Not uncommon through
country.

21. Barbary Falcon (_Falco barbarus_). Rare.

22. Lanner Falcon (_Falco lanarius_). Rare.

23. Red-naped Falcon (_Falco Babylonicus_). Rare.

24. Saker Falcon (_Falco saker_). Rare.

25. Merlin (_Falco aesalon_). Common throughout.

26. Hobby (_Falco subbuteo_). Fairly common.

27. Sooty Falcon (_Falco eleonorae_). Rare.

28. Red-legged Falcon (_Falco vespertinus_). Fairly common in Lower
Egypt.

29. Kestrel (_Falco tinnunculus_). Very abundant everywhere.

30. Lesser Kestrel (_Falco cenchris_). Fairly abundant.

31. Common Kite (_Milvus regalis_). Very rare.

32. Parasitic Kite (_Milvus aegyptius_). Very abundant throughout
Egypt.

33. Black Kite (_Milvus migrans_). Rare.

34. Black-shouldered Hawk (_Elanus coeruleus_). Fairly common south
of Thebes.

35. Honey Buzzard (_Pernis apivorus_). Exceedingly rare.

36. Common Buzzard (_Buteo vulgaris_). Not common.

37. African Buzzard (_Buteo desertorum_). Exceedingly rare.

38. Long-legged Buzzard (_Buteo ferox_). Fairly common.

39. Barn Owl (_Aluco flammea_). Common.

40. Tawny Owl (_Strix aluco_). Not common.

41. Tengmalm's Owl (_Nyctala tengmalmi_). Very rare.

42. Little Owl (_Athene noctua_). Exceedingly abundant.

43. Scops Owl (_Scops giu_). Rare north of Cairo.

44. Long-eared Owl (_Asio otus_). Very rare.

45. Short-eared Owl (_Asio accipitrinus_). Rare.

46. Eagle Owl (_Bubo ignavus_). Very rare.

47. Egyptian Eagle Owl (_Bubo ascalaphus_). Fairly common in Upper
Egypt.

48. Cuckoo (_Cuculus canorus_). A regular visitor in August and
returning again in March.

49. Great-spotted Cuckoo (_Coccystes glandarius_). Not uncommon.

50. Lark-heeled Cuckoo (_Centropus aegyptius_). Not uncommon in
Fayûm.

51. Wryneck (_Yunx torquilla_). Common on migration.

52. Hoopoe (_Upupa epops_). Abundant everywhere.

53. Common Kingfisher (_Alcedo ispida_). Abundant in Delta and
common in many parts.

54. Little Indian Kingfisher (_Alcedo bengalensis_). Rare.

55. Black and White Kingfisher (_Ceryle rudis_). Very common.

56. Blue Roller (_Coracias garrula_). Not common.

57. Common Bee-eater (_Merops apiaster_). Common only in April and
August.

58. Blue-checked Bee-eater (_Merops aegyptius_). Very common in
April and again in autumn.

59. Little Green Bee-eater (_Merops viridis_). Very common in Upper
Egypt.

60. Alpine Swift (_Cypselus melba_). Rare.

61. Common Swift (_Cypselus apus_). Not uncommon.

62. Egyptian Swift (_Cypselus pallidus_). Very common.

63. Nightjar (_Caprimulgus europaeus_). Common in spring and autumn
months.

64. Egyptian Nightjar (_Caprimulgus aegyptius_). Not uncommon in
spring and autumn.

65. Swallow (_Hirundo rustica_). Common in spring and autumn only.

66. Egyptian Swallow (_Hirundo savignii_). A very common resident.

67. House Martin (_Chelidon urbica_). Seen in small numbers in
spring and autumn.

68. Shelley's Sand-Martin (_Cotile riparia shelleyii_). Summer
visitor.

69. Sand-Martin (_Cotile riparia_). Abundant in Nile Valley.

70. Lesser Sand-Martin (_Cotile minor_). Common.

71. Rufous Swallow (_Hirundo rufula_). Rare.

72. Crag Swallow (_Cotile rupestris_). Rare.

73. Pale Crag Swallow (_Cotile obsoleta_). Common in parts.

74. White Wagtail (_Motacilla alba_). Exceedingly common.

75. White-winged Wagtail (_Motacilla vidua_). Common at Assoan.

76. Grey Wagtail (_Motacilla boarula_). Not uncommon.

77. Blue-headed Wagtail (_Motacilla flava_). Not uncommon.

78. Tree-Pipit (_Anthus trivialis_). Occasionally seen in September
and April.

79. Meadow Pipit (_Anthus pratensis_). Rare.

80. Red-throated Pipit (_Anthus cervinus_). Abundant everywhere.

81. Water Pipit (_Anthus spinoletus_). Rare.

82. Richard's Pipit (_Anthus Richardi_). Rare.

83. African Tawny Pipit (_Anthus raalterri_). Rare.

84. Tawny Pipit (_Anthus campestris_). Common.

85. Bifasciated Lark (_Certhilauda desertorum_). Rare.

86. Desert Lark (_Ammomanes lusitana_). Not uncommon in Upper
Egypt.

87. Tristram's Desert Lark (_Ammomanes fraterculus_). Not uncommon
in Upper Egypt.

88. Sandy-coloured Desert Lark (_Ammomanes arenicolor_). Rare.

89. Crested Lark (_Galerita cristata_). Nearly the commonest bird.

90. Wood Lark (_Alauda arborea_). Exceedingly rare.

91. Sky Lark (_Alauda arvensis_). Occurs regularly in Lower Egypt.

92. Short-toed Lark (_Calandrella brachydactyla_). Abundant.

93. Algerian Short-toed Lark (_Calandrella reboudia_). Rare.

94. Lesser Lark (_Calandrella minor_). Rare.

95. Calandra Lark (_Melanocorypha calandra_). Rare.

96. Thick-billed Calandra (_Rhamphocoris clot-bey_). Very rare.

97. Missel Thrush (_Turdus viscivorus_). Of very rare occurrence.

98. Fieldfare (_Turdus pilaris_). A visitant to Lower Egypt.

99. Song Thrush (_Turdus musicus_). Not uncommon.

100. Blackbird (_Turdus merula_). Not uncommon.

101. Ring-Ouzel (_Turdus torquatus_). Rare.

102. White-vented Bulbul (_Pycnonotus arsinoë_). Common, Fayûm.

103. Yellow-vented Bulbul (_Pycnonotus xanthopygius_). Rare.

104. Egyptian Bush-Babbler (_Crateropus acaciae_). Only rare
visitor to Upper Egypt.

105. Rock-Thrush (_Monticola saxatilis_). Common, Upper Egypt.

106. Blue-rock Thrush (_Monticola cyanea_). Fairly common resident
in Upper Egypt.

107. Common Wheatear (_Saxicola oenanthe_). Very common.

108. Ménétries's Wheatear (_Saxicola saltatrix_). Common resident.

109. Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (_Saxicola amphileuca_). Fairly
common in March and September.

110. Egyptian Black-throated Wheatear (_Saxicola eurymelana_).
Common.

111. Black-throated Wheatear (_Saxicola xanthomeloena_). Common
migrant.

112. Desert Chat (_Saxicola deserti_). Common on the desert.

113. White-throated Desert Chat (_Saxicola homochroa_). Not common.

114. Rosy-vented Chat (_Saxicola moesta_). Rare.

115. Mourning Chat (_Saxicola lugens_). Common on the desert
throughout.

116. Pied Chat (_Saxicola leucomela_). Exceedingly rare.

117. Hooded Chat (_Saxicola monacha_). Not uncommon on the desert.

118. White-rumped Chat (_Saxicola leucopygia_). Common in deserts
of Upper Egypt.

119. Abyssinian Chat (_Saxicola syenitica_). Exceedingly rare.

120. Whin Chat (_Pratincola rubetra_). Not uncommon.

121. Stone Chat (_Pratincola rubicola_). Common in Lower Egypt.

122. Hemprich's Stonechat (_Pratincola hemprichii_). Rare.

123. Redstart (_Ruticilla phoenicura_). Common in September and
April.

124. Black Redstart (_Ruticilla titys_). Rare.

125. Palestine Redstart (_Ruticilla semirufa_). Rare.

126. Blue-throated Warbler (_Cyanecula suecica_). Very common.

127. Robin (_Erithacus rubecula_). Common in Lower Egypt in winter.

128. Hedge Sparrow (_Accentor modularis_). Rare.

129. Nightingale (_Philomela luscinia_). Not uncommon.

130. Thrush Nightingale (_Philomela major_). Very rare.

131. Cetti's Warbler (_Bradypterus cettii_). Very rare.

132. Rufous Warbler (_Aëdon galactodes_). Common in summer, breeds
in Egypt.

133. Savi's Warbler (_Locustella luscinioides_). Fairly common.

134. River Warbler (_Locustella fluviatalis_). Very rare.

135. Sedge Warbler (_Acrocephalus streperus_). Common.

136. Aquatic Warbler (_Calamodyta aquatica_). Fairly common.

137. Moustached Warbler (_Calamodyta_). Common in Delta.

138. Reed Warbler (_Acrocephalus arundinacea_). Common in Delta.

139. Marsh Warbler (_Acrocephalus palustris_). Rare in Lower Egypt.

140. Clamorous Sedge Warbler (_Acrocephalus stentorius_). Common in
Delta.

141. Great Sedge Warbler (_Acrocephalus turdoides_). Rare.

142. Arabian Sedge Warbler (_Acrocephalus arabicus_). Rare.

143. Fan-tailed Warbler (_Cisticola schoenicola_). Abundant
everywhere.

144. Graceful Warbler (_Drymoeca gracilis_). Common.

145. Olive-tree Warbler (_Hypolais olivetorum_). Rare.

146. Olivaceous Warbler (_Hypolais elaeica_). Common, breeds.

147. Wood Warbler (_Phylloscopus sybillator_). Rather rare.

148. Bonelli's Warbler (_Phyllopneuste Bonelli_). Common in Upper
Egypt.

149. Chiffchaff Warbler (_Phylloscopus minor_). Common.

150. Willow Warbler (_Phylloscopus trochilus_). Common.

151. Melodious Willow Warbler (_Hypolais hypolais_). Rare.

152. Vieillot's Willow Warbler (_Phyllopneuste eversmanni_). Rare.

153. Garden Warbler (_Sylvia hortensis_). Not uncommon.

154. Orphean Warbler (_Sylvia orpheus_). Rare.

155. Black-cap Warbler (_Sylvia atricapilla_). Rare.

156. Ruppell's Warbler (_Curruca rueppellii_). Fairly common.

157. Black-headed Warbler (_Sylvia momus_). Common.

158. Sardinian Warbler (_Melizophilus sardus_). Rare.

159. Dartford Warbler (_Melizophilus undatus_). Rare.

160. Subalpine Warbler (_Sylvia subalpina_). Rare.

161. Spectacled Warbler (_Sylvia conspicillata_). Rare.

162. Lesser Whitethroat (_Sylvia curruca_). Common.

163. Whitethroat (_Sylvia cinerea_). Not uncommon.

164. Yellow-breasted Sun-Bird (_Nectarinia metallica_). Occurs only
near Assoan.

165. Wall Creeper (_Tichodroma murari_). Very rare.

166. Great Grey Shrike (_Lanius excubitor_). Very rare.

167. Pallid Shrike (_Lanius lahtora_). Not uncommon.

168. Lesser Grey Shrike (_Lanius minor_). Rare.

169. Masked Shrike (_Lanius nubicus_). Common in February and March
and in autumn.

170. Woodchat Shrike (_Lanius auriculatus_). Fairly common in
March.

171. Red-backed Shrike (_Lanius collurio_). Not common.

172. Spotted Flycatcher (_Muscicapa grisola_). Rare.

173. Pied Flycatcher (_Muscicapa atricapilla_). Rare.

174. White-collared Flycatcher (_Muscicapa collaris_). Rare.

175. Red-breasted Flycatcher (_Muscicapa parva_).

176. Common Bunting (_Emberiza milaria_). Common in Lower Egypt.

177. Ortolan Bunting (_Emberiza hortulana_). Rare.

178. Cretzschmar's Bunting (_Emberiza caesia_). Common in Delta.

179. Smaller Reed Bunting (_Emberiza intermedia_). Rare.

180. Common Sparrow (_Passer domesticus_). Common everywhere.

181. Italian Sparrow (_Passer Italiae_). Rare.

182. Spanish Sparrow (_Passer salicicola_). Common.

183. Tree Sparrow (_Passer montanus_). Rare.

184. The Hawfinch (_Coccothraustes vulgaris_). Rare.

185. Chaffinch (_Fringilla coelebs_). Rare, Lower Egypt.

186. Goldfinch (_Carduelis elegans_). Common in Delta.

187. Black-billed Finch (_Estrelda melanorhynoba_). Very rare.

188. Lesser Redpole (_Aegiothus rufescens_). Very rare.

189. Siskin (_Carduelis spinus_). Very rare.

190. Serin (_Serinus hortulanus_). Rare.

191. Linnet (_Linota cannabina_). Common in Lower Egypt.

192. Desert Bullfinch (_Erythrospiza githaginea_). Common on
deserts of Upper Egypt.

193. Golden Oriole (_Oriolus galbula_). Common only in April.

194. Starling (_Sturnus vulgaris_). Fairly common throughout.

195. Purple Starling (_Sturnus unicolor_). Exceedingly rare.

196. Rose-coloured Pastor (_Pastor roseus_). Rare.

197. Brown-necked Raven (_Corvus umbrinus_). Common in the deserts.

198. Abyssinian Raven (_Corvus affinis_). Not common in towns.

199. Crow (Hooded) (_Corvus cornix_). Exceedingly common in towns.

200. Rook (_Corvus fruglegus_). Common in Delta.

201. Jackdaw (_Corvus monedula_). Not common anywhere.

202. Magpie (_Pica caudata_). Rare.

203. Chough (_Pyrrhocorax alpinus_). Exceedingly rare.

204. Rock Dove (_Columba livia_). Very common.

205. Schimper's Pigeon (_Columba schimperi_). Common.

206. Stock Dove (_Columba oenas_). Very rare.

207. Turtledove (_Turtur auritus_). Very common.

208. Sharpe's Turtledove (_Turtur sharpii_). Common.

209. Isabelline Turtledove (_Turtur isabelinus_). Rare.

210. White-bellied Turtledove (_Turtur albiventris_). Rare.

211. Egyptian Turtledove (_Turtur senegalensis_). Very common
everywhere.

212. Singed Sand-Grouse (_Pterocles exustus_). Common in deserts
only.

213. Senegal Sand-Grouse (_Pterocles senegallus_). Not common.

214. Coroneted Sand-Grouse (_Pterocles coronatus_). Rare.

215. Francolin (_Francolinus vulgaris_). Very rare.

216. Hey's Sand-Partridge (_Ammoperdix heyi_). Only met on deserts.

217. Cholmley's Sand-Partridge (_Ammoperdix cholmleyi_). Only met
with on the desert.

218. Quail (_Coturnix communis_). Very common in March and
November.

219. Andalusian Hemipode (_Turnix sylvatica_). Very rare.

220. Houbara Bustard (_Otis houbara_). Met only on desert west of
Nile.

221. Little Bustard (_Otis tetrax_). Rare.

222. Arabian Bustard (_Eupodotis arabs_). Rare.

223. Collared Pratincole (_Glareola pratincola_). Common in April
and October.

224. Black-winged Pratincole (_Glareola nordmanni_). Rare.

225. Cream-coloured Courser (_Cursorius gallicus_). Common on
deserts.

226. Thick-knee (_Oedicnemus crepitans_). Very common.

227. Lapwing (_Vanellus cristatus_). Very common.

228. Spur-winged Plover (_Hoplopterus spinosus_). Common.

229. Social Plover (_Chettusia gregaria_). Rare.

230. White-tailed Plover (_Chettusia villotaei_). Not common.

231. Black-headed Plover (_Pluvianus aegyptius_). Not common, Upper
Egypt.

232. Golden Plover (_Charadrius pluvialis_). Not common.

233. Grey Plover (_Squatarola helvetica_). Rare.

234. Dotterel (_Eudromias morinellus_). Very rare.

235. Asiatic Dotterel (_Eudromias asiaticus_). Very rare.

236. Large Sand-Plover (_Aegialitis geoffroyi_). Met with only on
sea-coast.

237. Mongolian Sand-Plover (_Aegialitis mongolicus_). Very rare.

238. African Sand-Plover (_Aegialitis pecuarius_). Not common.

239. Kentish Plover (_Aegialitis cantianus_). Very common
everywhere.

240. Greater Ringed Plover (_Aegialitis hiaticula_). Rare.

241. Middle Ringed Plover (_Aegialitis intermedius_). Common in
Delta.

242. Little Ringed Plover (_Aegialitis minor_). Very common
everywhere.

243. Oyster-Catcher (_Haematopus ostralegus_). Common on sea-coast.

244. Curlew (_Numenius arquata_). Common in Delta.

245. Whimbrel (_Numenius phaeopus_). Met with sparingly in Nile
Valley.

246. Slender-billed Curlew (_Numenius tenuirostris_). Rare.

247. Black-tailed Godwit (_Limosa aegocephala_). Not uncommon.

248. Ruff (_Machetes pugnax_). Common throughout Egypt.

249. Woodcock (_Scolopax rusticola_). Now more frequently recorded
than formerly.

250. Solitary Snipe (_Gallinago major_). Rare.

251. Common Snipe (_Gallinago media_). Common everywhere.

252. Jack Snipe (_Gallinago gallinula_). Common.

253. Painted Snipe (_Rhynchaea capensis_). Fairly common
throughout.

254. Little Stint (_Tringa minuta_). Very abundant.

255. Temminck's Stint (_Tringa temminckii_). Rather rare.

256. Sanderling (_Tringa arenaria_). Not common.

257. Dunlin (_Tringa alpinus_). Not common, and only on coast.

258. Knot (_Tringa canutus_). Not common.

259. Curlew Sandpiper (_Tringa subarquata_). Not common.

260. Redshank (_Totanus calidris_). Common in Delta, rare
elsewhere.

261. Dusky Redshank (_Totanus fuscus_). Rare.

262. Greenshank (_Totanus canescens_). Common.

263. Marsh Sandpiper (_Totanus stagnatalis_). Not common.

264. Green Sandpiper (_Totanus ochropus_). Very common everywhere.

265. Wood Sandpiper (_Totanus glareola_). Common in Lower Egypt.

266. Common Sandpiper (_Actitis hypoleucos_). Common.

267. Black-winged Stilt (_Himantopus candidus_). Not uncommon.

268. Avocet (_Recurvirostra avocetta_). Common only in Delta.

269. Sacred Ibis (_Ibis aethiopica_). Very rare indeed.

270. Glossy Ibis (_Ibis falcinellus_). Rare.

271. African Wood Ibis (_Tantalus ibis_). Rare.

272. Common Crane (_Grus communis_). Not uncommon in October and
March.

273. Demoiselle Crane (_Grus virgo_). Not common.

274. Spoonbill (_Platalea leucorodia_). Common in all parts.

275. White Stork (_Ciconia alba_). Common during migration months,
October and March.

276. Black Stork (_Ciconia nigra_). Not common.

277. Shoebill or Whale-headed Stork (_Balaeniceps rex_).

278. Common Heron (_Ardea cinerea_). Very common.

279. Purple Heron (_Ardea purpurea_). Only common in Lower Egypt.

280. Great White Heron (_Herodias alba_). Only common in Delta.

281. Little Egret (_Herodias garzetta_). Not common.

282. Buff-backed Heron (_Ardeola russata_). Commonest in Delta.

283. Squacco Heron (_Ardeola comata_). Rare.

284. Night Heron (_Nycticorax griseus_). Fairly common everywhere.

285. Bittern (_Botaurus stellaris_). Not uncommon in Lower Egypt.

286. Little Bittern (_Botaurus minutus_). Common.

287. Flamingo (_Phoenicopterus antiquorum_). Common in Delta.

288. Water Rail (_Rallus aquaticus_). Common in Lower Egypt.

289. Land Rail (Ortygometra crex). Not common.

290. Spotted Crake (_Porzana maruetta_). Common.

291. Baillon's Crake (_Porzana pygmaea_). Very rare.

292. Moorhen (_Gallinula chloropus_). Common in Lower Egypt.

293. Allen's Gallinule (_Porphyrio Alleni_). Very rare.

294. Violet Gallinule (_Porphyrio hyacinthinus_). Common in Lower
Egypt.

295. Green-backed Gallinule (_Porphyrio madagascariensis_). Very
rare.

296. Common Coot (_Fulica atra_). Common everywhere.

297. Crested Coot (_Fulica cristata_). Rare.

298. Mute Swan (_Cygnus olor_). Rare.

299. Hooper Swan (_Cygnus musicus_). Very rare.

300. Egyptian Goose (_Chenalopex aegyptiacus_). Not common.

301. White-fronted Goose (_Anser albifrons_). Not uncommon.

302. Lesser White-fronted Goose (_Anser erythropus_). Rare.

303. Bean Goose (_Anser fabalis_). Very rare.

304. Brent Goose (_Bernicla brenta_). Rare.

305. Sheldrake (_Tadorna vulpanser_). Rare.

306. Ruddy Sheldrake (_Tadorna rutila_). Not uncommon in Lower
Egypt.

307. Common Wild Duck (_Anas boschas_). Fairly common everywhere.

308. Gadwall (_Anas strepera_). Not very common.

309. Pintail (_Dafila acuta_). Very common throughout country.

310. Shoveller (_Spatula clypeata_). Exceedingly common.

311. Teal (_Querquedula crecca_). Very common.

312. Garganey Teal (_Querquedula circia_). Not common.

313. Widgeon (_Mareca penelope_). Very common indeed.

314. Ferruginous Duck (_Nyroca leucophtalma_). Rare.

315. Pochard (_Fuligula ferina_). Very common indeed.

316. Red-crested Pochard (_Netta rufina_). Lower Egypt.

317. Scaup Duck (_Fuligula marila_). Not common.

318. Tufted Duck (_Fuligula cristata_). Exceedingly common.

319. White-headed Duck (_Erismatura leucocephala_). Rare.

320. Velvet Scoter (_Oedemia fusca_). Rare.

321. Dalmatian Pelican (_Pelecanus crispus_). Fairly common.

322. White Pelican (_Pelecanus onocrotalus_). Fairly common.

323. Lesser Pelican (_Pelecanus minor_). Fairly common.

324. Masked Gannet (_Sula cyanops_). Very rare.

325. Cormorant (_Phalacrocorax carbo_). Common in Lower Egypt, rare
elsewhere.

326. Little Cormorant (_Phalacrocorax pygmaens_). Rare.

327. Caspian Tern (_Sterna caspia_). Fairly common near sea.

328. Gull-billed Tern (_Sterna anglica_). Common in Lower Egypt.

329. Sandwich Tern (_Sterna cantiaca_). Rare.

330. Allied Tern (_Sterna media_). Common in Lower Egypt.

331. Swift Tern (_Sterna bergii_). Not uncommon in Lower Egypt.

332. Common Tern (_Sterna fluviatilis_). Rare.

333. Arctic Tern (_Sterna hirundo_). Rare.

334. Lesser Tern (_Sterna minuta_). Very rare.

335. Black Tern (_Hydrochelidon fissipes_). Rare.

336. White-winged Black Tern (_Hydrochelidon nigra_). Rare.

337. Whiskered Tern (_Hydrochelidon leucopareia_). Common on Nile.

338. Scissor-billed Tern (_Rhynchops flavirostris_). Rare.

339. Greater Black-backed Gull (_Larus marinus_). Rare on coast
only.

340. Lesser Black-backed Gull (_Larus fuscus_). Fairly common.

341. Mediterranean Herring Gull (_Larus leucophaeus_). Not
uncommon.

342. Herring Gull (_Larus argentatus_). Fairly common on coast.

343. Common Gull (_Larus canus_). Not common.

344. Slender-billed Gull (_Larus gelastes_). Rare.

345. Great Black-headed Gull (_Larus ichthyaetus_). Rare.

346. White-eyed Gull (_Larus leucopthalmus_). Very rare.

347. Mediterranean Black-headed Gull (_Larus melanocephalus_). Not
common.

348. Black-headed Gull (_Larus ridibundus_). Common in Lower Egypt.

349. Little Gull (_Larus minutus_). Rare.

350. Cinereous Shearwater (_Puffinus kuhlii_). Not rare on coast.

351. Manx Shearwater (_Puffinus anglorum_). Rare on coast.

352. Great-crested Grebe (_Podicipides cristatus_). Rare.

353. Eared Grebe (_Podicipides nigricollis_). Rare.

354. Red-necked Grebe (_Podicipides griseigena_). Rare.

355. Little Grebe (_Podicipides minor_). Common.

356. Red-throated Diver (_Colymbus septentrionalis_). Rare.

INDEX

Avocet, 129, Plate, 130, 213

Bee-eater, Blue-checked, 206
Common, 206
Little Green, 54, Plate, 206

Birds in mid-air, 1, Plate

Bittern, 214
Little, 214

Blackbird, 207

Blue Roller, 206

Bulbul, White-vented, 207
Yellow-vented, 207

Bullfinch, Desert, 85, Plate, 210

Bunting, Common, 210
Cretzschmar's, 210
Ortolan, 210
Smaller Reed, 210

Bush-babbler, Egyptian, 207

Bustard, Arabian, 211
Houbara, 211
Little, 211

Buzzard, African, 205
Common, 205
Honey, 205
Long-legged, 205

Calandra, Thick-billed, 207

Chaffinch, 210

Chat, Desert, 208
Hemprich's Stone-, 208
Hooded, 73, 208
Mourning, 73, 208
Rosy-vented, 71, Plate, 208
Stone-, 208
Whin, 208
White-rumped, 71, 72, Plate, 208
White-throated Desert, 208

Chough, 211

Coot, Common, Frontispiece Plate, 7, 172, 173, 214
Crested, 214

Cormorant, 191, Plate, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 215
Little, 215

Courser, Cream-coloured, 110, Plate, 111, 112, 212

Crake, Baillon's, 214
Spotted, 214

Crane, Common, 135, Plate, 136, 137, 138, 139, 213
Demoiselle, 213

Crow, Hooded, 28, 89, Plate, 91, 211

Cuckoo, 205
Great-spotted, 205
Lark-heeled, 205

Curlew, 212
Slender-billed, 212

Diver, Red-throated, 216

Dotterel, 212
Asiatic, 212

Dove, Palm, 92, Plate
Rock, 211
Stock, 211
Turtle, 92, Plate, 93, 211

Duck, Common Wild, 7, 180, 214
Ferruginous, 215
Pintail, 178, Plate, 179, 180, 215
Scaup, 215
Shoveller, 178, Plate, 181, 182, 183, 215
Tufted, 215
White-headed, 215

Dunlin, 213

Eagle, Bonelli's, 204
Booted, 28, 204
Golden, 204
Imperial, 204
Short-toed, 204
Spotted, 204
Tawny, 204
White-tailed, 204

Egret, Little, 156, 157, 214

Falcon, Barbary, 204
Lanner, 204
Peregrine, 3, 204
Red-legged, 205
Red-naped, 204
Saker, 205
Sooty, 205

Fieldfare, 207

Finch, Black-billed, 210
Trumpeter, 85, Plate

Flamingo, 13, 162, Plate, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 214

Flycatcher, Pied, 210
Red-breasted, 210
Spotted, 210
White-collared, 210

Francolin, 211

Gadwall, 215

Gallinule, Allen's, 214
Green-backed, 168, Plate, 169, 170, 171, 214
Violet, 214

Gannet, Masked, 215

Godwit, Black-tailed, 212

Goldfinch, 210

Goose, Bean, 176, 177, 214
Brent, 177, 214

Goose, Egyptian, 174, Plate, 175, 214
Lesser White-fronted, 214
Red-breasted, 176
White-fronted, 176, 177, 214

Grebe, Eared, 216
Great-crested, 216
Little, 216
Red-necked, 216

Greenshank, 7, 213

Grouse, Coroneted Sand-, 94, 96, 211
Sand-, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98
Senegal Sand-, 94, Plate, 211
Singed Sand-, 94, 211

Gull, Black-headed, 197, Plate, 198, 199, 200, 201, 216
Common, 216
Great Black-headed, 216
Greater Black-backed, 216
Herring, 216
Lesser Black-backed, 197, Plate, 198, 216
Little, 216
Mediterranean Black-headed, 216
Mediterranean Herring, 216
Slender-billed, 216
White-eyed, 216

Harrier, Hen-, 204
Marsh-, 204
Montagu's, 204
Pale-chested, 204

Hawfinch, 210

Hawk, Black-shouldered, 205
Little red-billed, 204
Sparrow, 83

Hemipode, Andalusian, 211

Heron, Buff-backed, 154, Plate, 156, 157, 214
Common, 4, 152, Plate, 153, 154, 214
Great White, 214
Night, 159, Plate, 160, 161, 214
Purple, 214
Squacco, 214

Hobby, 205

Hoopoe, 45, 46, Plate, 47, 48, 205

Ibis, African Wood, 213
Glossy, 213
Sacred, 131, Plate, 132, 133, 134, 213

Jackdaw, 211

Kestrel, 2, 25, 26, 28, 29, 53, 205
Lesser, 205

Kingfisher, Black and White, 51, Plate, 52, 53, 206
Common, 49, Plate, 206
Little Indian, 50, 206

Kite, Black, 33, 205
Common, 2, 205
Parasitic or Egyptian, 30, Plate, 31, 32, 33, 205

Kites in flight, 32, Plate

Knot, 213

Lapwing, 111, Plate, 114, 212

Lark, Algerian Short-toed, 207
Bifasciated, 207
Calandra, 207
Crested, 69, Plate, 207
Desert, 207
Lesser, 207
Sandy-coloured Desert, 207
Short-toed, 207
Sky, 207
Tristram's Desert, 207
Wood, 207

Linnet, 210

Magpie, 211

Martin, House, 63, 64, 206
Lesser Sand-, 206
Sand-, 64, 206
Shelley's Sand-, 206

Merlin, 205

Moorhen, 214

Nightingale, 208
Thrush, 208

Nightjar, 57, 206
Egyptian, 206

Nile, a view on, 10, Plate

Oriole, Golden, 210

Osprey, 204

Ouzel, Ring, 207

Owl, Barn, 34, Plate, 35, 36, 37, 205
Eagle, 7, 42, 205
Egyptian Eagle, 42, Plate, 43, 205
Little, 38, Plate, 39, 40, 41, 205
Long-eared, 205
Scops, 205
Short-eared, 205
Tawny, 205
Tengmalm's, 205

Oyster-Catcher, 212

Palm Dove, 93, Plate

Partridge, Cholmley's Sand-, 211
Hey's Sand-, 99, Plate, 100, 101, 102, 211

Pastor, Rose-coloured, 211

Pelican, Dalmatian, 215
Lesser, 215
White, 184, Plate, 187, 189, 190, 215

Pigeon, Schimper's, 211

Pipit, African Tawny, 207
Meadow, 207
Red-throated, 207
Richard's, 207
Tawny, 207
Tree, 207
Water, 207

Plover, African Sand-, 212
Black-headed, 113, 116, Plate, 117, 118, 119, 212
Golden, 212
Greater Ringed, 212
Green, 111, Plate, 114
Grey, 212
Kentish, 212
Large Sand-, 212
Little Ringed, 120, Plate, 121, 212
Middle Ringed, 212
Mongolian Sand-, 212
Social, 212
Spur-winged, 113, Plate, 114, 115, 119, 212
White-tailed, 212

Pochard, 215
Red-crested, 215

Pratincole, Black-winged, 212
Collared, 212

Quail, 104, Plate, 105, 106, 107, 211

Rail, Land, 214
Water, 214

Raven, Abyssinian, 91, 211
Brown-necked, 91, 211

Redpole, Lesser, 210

Redshank, 213
Dusky, 213

Redstart, 208
Black, 208
Palestine, 208

Robin, 208

Rook, 211

Ruff, 212

Sanderling, 213

Sandpiper, Common, 213
Curlew, 213
Green, 213
Marsh, 213
Wood, 213

Scoter, Velvet, 215

Serin, 210

Shearwater, Cinereous, 216
Manx, 216

Sheldrake, 214
Ruddy, 214

Shoebill, 148, Plate, 149, 150, 151, 213

Shoveller, 215

Shrike, Great Grey, 210
Lesser Grey, 210
Masked, 210

Shrike, Pallid, 210
Red-backed, 210
Woodchat, 210

Siskin, 210

Snipe, Common, 125, Plate, 127, 213
Jack, 126, 213
Painted, 128, Plate, 213
Solitary, 213

Sparrow, Common, 81, Plate, 210
Egyptian, 81, 82, 83, 84
Hedge, 208
Italian, 210
Spanish, 210
Tree, 210

Spoonbill, 129, 140, Plate, 154, 157, 213

Starling, 211
Purple, 211

Stilt, Black-winged, 213

Stint, Little, 213
Temminck's, 213

Stork, Black, 142, Plate, 146, 147, 213
Whale-headed, 148, Plate, 149, 150, 151
White, 142, 145, 146, 213

Sun-bird, Yellow-breasted, 210

Swallow, 32, 57, 60, Plate, 63, 64, 206
Crag, 206
Egyptian, 60, 61, 206
Pale Crag, 64, Plate, 206
Rufous, 206

Swan, Hooper, 214
Mute, 214

Swift, Alpine, 206
Common, 32, 57, 58, 59, 206
Egyptian, 206

Teal, 178, Plate, 183, 184, 185, 215
Garganey, 215

Tern, 202
Allied, 215
Arctic, 215
Black, 215
Caspian, 215
Common, 215
Gull-billed, 215
Lesser, 215
Sandwich, 215
Scissor-billed, 215
Swift, 215
Whiskered, 215
White-winged Black, 215

Thick-knee, 212

Thrush, Blue-rock, 207
Missel, 207
Rock, 207
Song, 207

Turtledove, Egyptian, 93, 211
Isabelline, 211
Sharpe's, 211
White-bellied, 211

Vulture, Black, 204
Egyptian, 3, 19, 20, Plate, 22, 23, 204
Griffon, 3, 14, Plate, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 186, 204
Sociable, 19, 204
Southern Bearded, 204

Wagtail, Blue-headed, 206
Grey, 206
White, 66, Plate, 206
White-winged, 206
Yellow, 67

Wall Creeper, 210

Warbler, Aquatic, 209
Arabian Sedge, 209
Black-cap, 209
Black-headed, 209

Warbler, Blue-throated, 74, Plate, 75, 76, 77, 208
Bonelli's, 209
Cetti's, 208
Chiffchaff, 209
Clamorous Sedge, 209
Dartford, 209
Fan-tailed, 209
Garden, 209
Graceful, 209
Great Sedge, 209
Marsh, 209
Melodious Willow, 209
Moustached, 209
Olivaceous, 209
Olive-tree, 209
Orphean, 209
Reed, 78, Plate, 79, 80, 209
River, 209
Rufous, 208
Ruppell's, 209
Sardinian, 209
Savi's, 209
Sedge, 78, 209
Spectacled, 209
Subalpine, 209
Vieillot's Willow, 209
Willow, 209
Wood, 209

Wheatear, Black-throated, 208
Common, 208
Eastern Black-eared, 208
Egyptian Black-throated, 208
Ménétries's, 208

Whimbrel, 212

Whitethroat, 209
Lesser, 209

Widgeon, 215

Woodcock, 122, 123, 124, 213

Wryneck, 205

THE END

_Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh_.

* * * * *

BIRDS OF BRITAIN BY J. LEWIS BONHOTE

CONTAINING ONE HUNDRED FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR, SELECTED BY H. E. DRESSER FROM HIS "BIRDS IN EUROPE"

_Square Demy 8vo, Cloth, Gilt Top_

Price =20s.= net

(_Post Free, Price 20s. 6d._)

SOME PRESS OPINIONS

"It can in general be thoroughly relied on for reference, especially on the questions of measurement and distribution, and we do not know of any book covering the whole ground which could be more safely recommended to the young Naturalist, keen to learn the secret of identification."--_The Times._

"His work is greatly in advance of many that profess to treat of our country's birds and omit precisely those about which we need information the most; while the general public will not fail to appreciate a book specially addressed to it."--_The Guardian._

"A book on birds is always sure of a welcome, and when the book is so comprehensive and so attractive it needs only to be commended. The text is lucid and to the point. For purposes of identification this is one of the best books of the kind that we have seen."--_The Tribune._

"The latest book about birds will appeal to all who are interested in this fascinating study, and who need a work which will supply them with particulars of species which occur in Great Britain, and enable them to identify them. Mr. Bonhote is an ornithologist of repute, and his notes have been taken 'at first hand, straight from Nature.' The illustrations in Mr. Bonhote's work are a feature of note. The selection has been well made, although, perhaps, such familiar friends as the robin and the blackbird might well have been omitted in favour of some others less well known."--_Westminster Gazette._

"The selection has been made with the finest discrimination, and the result is a very handsome bird-book. Mr. Bonhote has done his share of the work in the most creditable manner. The notices of the birds are necessarily brief, but a great many of them bear the impress of personal observation."--_Country Life._

"It is a splendid collection of 100 pictures in colour, accompanied by really valuable notes. Mr. Bonhote not only faithfully describes a bird, but tells us where by field or wood or hillside we are likely to meet with it, and by what conspicuous mark or action we can most easily recognise it."--_Christian World._

"The book is well printed and bound, the pages have wide margins, and so far as English information is concerned, it leaves little to be desired. Its value lies in its original descriptions of bird life and habits, and for these we cordially welcome it."--_Irish Naturalist._

PUBLISHED BY ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK · SOHO SQUARE · LONDON · W.

* * * * *

=EGYPT= · PAINTED AND DESCRIBED BY R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A., F.R.G.S. · CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR · PRICE 20s. NET ·

(_Post free, Price 20s. 6d._)

SOME PRESS OPINIONS

"HOW MARVELLOUSLY FAITHFUL HIS WORK IS. EVERY ONE WHO KNOWS EGYPT WILL SEE IN THE SEVENTY-FIVE EXQUISITE PAINTINGS WHICH MAKE HIS BOOK A PERFECT TREASURE OF BEAUTY.... NO SERIES OF DRAWINGS HAS EVER CONVEYED TO US SO PERFECT AN IMPRESSION OF EGYPTIAN SCENERY AS THESE."--_SATURDAY REVIEW._

"THIS IS BEYOND ALL QUESTION THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK ON MODERN EGYPT THAT WE HAVE EVER SEEN...."--_THE SPECTATOR._

"WE HAVE SELDOM READ A BETTER DESCRIPTION OF NATIVE LIFE, OR ONE MORE EVIDENTLY WRITTEN FROM CLOSE OBSERVATION.... FEW MORE ATTRACTIVE GIFT BOOKS HAVE FALLEN INTO OUR HANDS OF LATE THAN THIS SPLENDIDLY ILLUSTRATED VOLUME, THE TEXT OF WHICH IS IN PERFECT HARMONY WITH THE PICTURES."--_STANDARD._