SIX MONTHS BIRD COLLECTING IN EGYPT. 12/ 



plaints preferred by mariners against their captains, for 

 giving them nothing but Quails to eat" (III., p. 321). Ex- 

 traordinary as this may appear, I can quite believe it from 

 what I have seen and heard.* 



He gives a lengthy account of the habits of the Egyptian 

 Dove, and mentions two instances of nests on window-sills 

 where he was lodging. In more than one place also he 

 mentions the abundance of the White Wagtail. At p. 202 

 of Vol. II. he remarks — "There is no kind of bird more 

 plentiful in Egypt. * * * Some of them came 



into the vessel's cabin during our voyage upon the Nile, 

 and would feed close by our sides with engaging security." 

 At p. 136 of Vol. II., he has rather an interesting note on 

 the Ostrich. I could not hear that these birds are ever to 

 be found in Egypt now, though I believe that fresh eggs 

 are to be sometimes bought at Assouan. Their plumes are 

 often brought there, together with native spears, ebony clubs, 

 and monkey skins, from the Soudan. 



It only remains for me to acknowledge the special civility 

 of M. Eugene Filliponi of Damietta, who has enriched this 

 volume by a list of all the Arab names of birds he has been 

 able to collect in that neighbourhood. I beg to acknow- 

 ledge myself greatly indebted to him for his courtesy in 

 furnishing this very valuable contribution. Mr. T. B. 

 Hughes had collected twenty-four such names, and I had 

 also collected a few, but I have determined to give the 

 preference to M. Filliponi's names in every case. I have 

 added a few which he omitted, viz., the Nightingale, English 

 Turtle Dove, Kingfisher, (and Bat) on Mr. Hughes' authority ; 

 and the Neophron Vulture, Little Owl, Egyptian Turtle 



• At p. 510 of Sir T, F. Buxton's Memoirs I find the following : — 

 "Sir Thomas Cullum told me that on the 2nd of May, two or three 

 years ago, he found upon enquiry that duty had been paid on 80,000 

 Quails. Pretty well for one day." This was in Italy, about the year 

 1837. 



