Capt. G. E. Shelley on Egijptian Ornithology. 145 



running to flying, never remaiiung long on the wing; and after 

 an hour's hot pursuit I obtained three of them. 



149. Otis houbara, Gm. Ruffed Bustard. 



This bird, which is abundant in most parts of North Africa, 

 and extends into Arabia, must naturally be found in Egypt. 

 There is a stufiFed specimen in the British Museum labelled 

 " Egypt.'' Mr. Josceline Amherst tells me that he heard it was 

 not uncommon in the desert near El Fyoom. 



150. (Edicnemus crepitans, Temm. Thick-knee. 

 Tolerably abundant in pairs and small flocks throughout 



Egypt and Nubia. I often shot them, in hopes of obtaining 

 (E. senegalensis, a very nearly allied form which I had expected 

 to find in Egypt. 



151. HoPLOPTERUs spiNosus (L.). Spur-wiugcd Plover. 

 One of the most abundant birds in Egypt, where it may be 



seen on every sand bank, either motionless, with head depressed 

 and shoulders up, trying to elude observation, or else standing 

 erect and constantly moving its body with a little spasmodic 

 jerk. Its cry is loud and varied, and constantly to be heard. 

 It commences breeding in March, when I have found as many 

 as thirty nests close together towards the point of a sand bank. 

 The birds scrape out neat circular shallow holes in the sand, which 

 they roughly line with short pieces of dried reed, just sufficient to 

 prevent the eggs from touching the ground. In Nubia this 

 bird was comparatively rare. 



152. Vanellus cristatus, Meyer. Lapwing. 



By no means uncommon ; but I have never met with it later 

 than March in Upper Egypt, and I think that it probably does 

 not breed further south than the Delta. 



153. CHiETUsiA GREGARIA (Pallas). Social Plover. 



Rare in Egypt. I only met with it twice, on the 9th and 10th 

 of March, between Girgeb and Sioot. We killed one of a pair 

 that we saw the first day, and one out of a flock of eight on the 

 second occasion. 



154. CHiETUsiA LEUCURA (Licht.). White-tailed Plover. 

 This Plover was formerly considered one of the greatest 



SER. III. VOL. I. L 



