SIX MONTHS BIRD COLLECTING IN EGYPT. 20/ 



I shall have some remarks to make on the occipital plumes 

 of the Night-Heron. In the present species Yarrcll states 

 that they are dark slate blue, which is true of mine ; but a 

 celebrated falconer told me that he once got one with a 

 white centre. I have twice seen Herons with four plumes, 

 once with five, and once with six ; but in the last I will not 

 be sure that they had not been stuck in, as it was at the 

 shop of a birdstufTer rather clever at such tricks of the trade. 



Mr. Rocke mentions getting a cock which at four months 

 old exhibited the crest (Zoologist, ss.. Si). 



170. Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea, Linn. ; 

 " Hagaf." 



This is a very handsome bird. It is of a more slender 

 build than the Grey Heron, and more solitary in disposition, 

 but it is not anything like so common. I only shot one in 

 Upper Egypt, and two at the Faioum, one of which I could 

 not find. I did not see as many at that lake as I expected. 

 There were only two or three pairs, which were going to 

 nest with the Buff-Backs, I have no doubt. The first we 

 obtained went through some very funny antics. I did not 

 see it myself, but it was described to me as squatting flat 

 down on its stomach, with its neck extended to the full 

 stretch, as if. Ostrich-like, it thought it could hide itself on a 

 bare bank of sand. 



i/L Great White Heron, Herodias alba (Linn.); 

 " Ryti " and "Balachium abiad." 



Seen only occasionally and at such a distance as fully 



warranted its reputation of being a very shy bird ; but one 



at least — upon Lake Menzaleh — was sufficiently near to 

 make its identification pretty certain. 



