380 Letters, Annotmcements, 6fc. 



up one of the Bat's wings which it had dropped. So far as 

 I know, this Bat-catching propensity of the Sparrow-hawk 

 has never before been recorded. 



The trees round this same lake in the Esbekyeh garden 

 were frequented by numerous large Fruit-bats, which began 

 to move about half an hour after sunset, and which I never 

 saw elsewhere in Cairo, or in any other part of Egypt. 

 This fact, although not exactly ornithological, is not alto- 

 gether devoid of interest, for I fancy that the presence of a 

 Fruit-bat in Egypt has escaped the notice of most recent 

 travellers in that country. 



The Red-breasted Goose, Bernicla ruficollis,is not now found 

 in Upper Egypt, and, with the exception of one specimen ob- 

 tained by Mr. Stafford Allen at Alexandria, I do not know of 

 any instance of its having been seen anywhere in Egypt in 

 recent times. I was therefore much interested in finding 

 this species accurately and repeatedly represented in the 

 tombs of the kings at Thebes, the figures of it being carved 

 in the limestone walls of the tomb, and accurately coloured, 

 so that there can be no doubt whatever as to the species 

 intended to be represented"^. 



I left Egypt on March 24th5 and went direct to Athens, 

 where I stayed ten days. The ornithological fact that 

 struck me most at Athens was the great number of 

 Bavens, Corvus corax, in and around the city. They 

 roost in the precipitous sides of the Acropolis, and may 

 be seen flying over the town all day, but more especially 

 towards evening. Beturning home one afternoon from a 

 drive to Eleusis, I saw, just before sunset, at least thirty or 

 forty Bavens all together, flying round a rocky hill about two 

 miles from Athens, on which they no doubt roosted. Never 

 in any country have I seen the Baven so abundant as at and 

 around Athens. 



Yours, &c., 

 E. Cavendish Taylor. 



* [C/. Yarrell's Brit. Birds, ed. 4, vol. iv. p. 284.— Edd.] 



