298 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



into the juicy bivalves, which closed upon them with a fatal 

 tenacity ; others, which had inadvertently stepped into the 

 trap, were caught by the toe, and in like manner perished. 



THE FIRST EDITION OF YARRELL. 



The late Mr. Yarrell adhered to the laudable practice of 

 devoting a paragraph under each species to its geographical 

 distribution. With reference to Egypt, he has been sin- 

 gularly unfortunate in the sources whence he drew his 

 information. I find that country accredited with possessing 

 a number of species which are unknown to it, or only 

 very rare stragglers ; and on the other hand, no mention is 

 made of a still larger number which do inhabit it. 



HYBRIDS. 



In June, 1870, I saw at the Bayonne Museum a hybrid 

 between a male Peacock and a hen Pheasant. In June, 

 1875, I saw what appeared to be another hybrid Peacock 

 alive in the Bois-de-Bologne at Paris. I have also seen a 

 Peahen which had in a great measure assumed cock's 

 plumage, strutting about in a yard in Norfolk. 



MISPRINT. 



Ornithologists suffer much from misprints. The 

 worst I ever saw was cyntscrayers for Sarus Cranes. In 

 bringing my book to a close,* let me express a hope that 

 my readers will find nothing so bad as that in the preceding 

 pages. 



* The Sacred Ibis. — Since the preceding pages went to press, I 

 have learnt from Mons. Filliponi that he has lately obtained a Sacred 

 Ibis near Damietta, and seen three others. His description of the bird 

 leaves no doubt on my mind that he has correctly named it, and there 

 is nothing remarkable in its occasionally occurring in Lower Egypt as 

 a straggler. 



