Mr. E. Cavendish Taylor on Birds of Egypt. 371 



perched on the low bushes on the railway embankment, and 

 were so tame that they barely moved as the train passed. I 

 saw them nowhere else except between the above-named 

 stations. 



This is not a common species in Egyptian collections. 



MusciCAPA ATRicAPiLLAj Linn. Pied Flycatcher. 

 MusciCAPA coLLARis, Bcchst. Collarcd Flycatcher. 

 Both these species tolerably common all about Cairo from 

 March 20 to April 15. 



Saxicola albicollis (Vieillot). Eared Chat. 



I shot and skinned at Halouan, on March 29, an individual 

 of this species that ought to have been a female ; for it was in 

 exactly the plumage figured and described by Mr. Dresser as 

 the adult female of this Chat. Great was my surprise when, 

 on dissection, it proved to be a male. Have the sexual 

 distinctions of the Chats been thoroughly elucidated ? 



Sylvia kueppelli, Temm, Ruj)peirs "Warbler. 



Nothing surprises me so much as the fact that Mr. Gumey 

 did not meet with this species. I found it extremely common 

 all about Cairo all the time I was there, i. e. from March 20 

 to April 15. At the Pyramids it was abundant, creeping 

 about among the heaps of huge stones, and when disturbed 

 taking refuge in the crevices, just like a Chat [Saxicola) 

 would do. Indeed the desert around the Pyramids would 

 seem altogether more suited for Chats than for Warblers ; and 

 I was surprised to see this species so plentiful there. I also 

 found it in considerable numbers between Abbassieh and 

 Heliopolis, creeping about among low bushes and hedges. I 

 shot several both at the Pyramids and also here. 



Passer salicicola (Vieillot) . Spanish Sparrow. 



Captain Shelley says {' Birds of Egypt,' page 149) that he 

 never met with this species later than the beginning of 

 February ; and Mr. Gurncy seems to have found it rather 

 rare. On the contrary, I found it in great numbers all about 

 Cairo up to the date of my departure from that place on the 

 16th of April, which leads me to the conclusion that it re- 



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