Mr. S. S. Allen on Acrocephalus stentorius. 97 



141. Phalacrocorax, sp. ? 



I saw Cormorants on many occasions, especially in the road- 

 stead of Pampator, where they were abundant. They seemed to 

 be about the size of Ph. carbo ; but I did not obtain specimens. 



V. — On Acrocephalus stentorius, a rare Species of Sedge-warbler 

 from Egyjjf. By S. Stafford Allen, 



(Plate I.) 



I came upon this remarkable and almost unknown species 

 quite by accident, whilst searching unsuccessfully for the 

 Violet Gallinule [Porphyi'io veterum) in a small lake about 

 six miles from Damietta, in May 1863. 



Shortly after entering the labyrinth of tall reeds which covers 

 the greater part of the lake, and is intersected by narrow lanes 

 of water, along which the flat-bottomed boat is poled, a curious 

 harsh grating note burst out suddenly, with almost startling 

 abruptness, from the reeds a little distance ahead, and was 

 answered by others in two or three difierent directions. 



On questioning the Arabs who accompanied me, they replied 

 that it was "only a little bird," which I could scarcely believe at 

 first; but on watching the spot closely for a short time, we 

 presently saw a little sober-coloured bird, rather larger than a 

 Nightingale, hopping in and out among the reeds, every now and 

 then making the air ring with his noisy song. 



After some little trouble, owing to their active habits and the 

 difficulty of getting far enough away to avoid injuring them too 

 much, I succeeded in obtaining two specimens, which at the 

 time, not having any books, or skins for comparison, at hand, I 

 took for the Thrush-like Reed-warbler, A. turdoides, Temm., 

 though, on seeing the two species together afterwards, the 

 differences were sufficiently obvious. In consequence of this 

 mistaken idea, I omitted putting down the dimensions of these 

 birds and other particulars before skinning, as is my usual 

 practice with the rarer species. 



The specific name given to this species in the only published 

 notice of it, which occurs in Hemprich and Ehrenberg's work on 



VOL. VI. H 



