Reminiscences of Egypt. 5 1 



and familiar. It does not frequent water, or marshy ground, 

 like most of its congeners, but especially affects the society of 

 cattle ; I have often seen it standing on the backs of buffaloes 

 and cows. From this propensity to fraternise with cattle it is 

 called ' Cow Bird ' by the English. I never saw an example of 

 this bird with the elongated buffy plumes on the back, which 

 are considered to be characteristic of the species. All that I 

 saw had the entire plumage pure white, except the crown of the 

 head, which was buff. I conclude from this that the elongated 

 dorsal plumes are peculiar to the breeding season, as I cannot 

 believe that the very numerous specimens which came under my 

 notice were all in immature plumage. Bill and irides yellow. 

 Legs and feet blackish grey. This bird does duty on the Nile 

 as the Ibis, being generally pointed out to travellers by dra- 

 gomans, &c., as the real Ibis religiosa. For the Ibis, I should 

 say, is now a rare bird in Egypt ; at any rate, none of our party 

 saw it, and I have been assured that the only part of the country 

 where it is now regularly seen, is the neighbourhood of Lake 

 Menzaleh, near the Damietta mouth of the Nile, 



56. Nycticorax europ^us. Night Heron. 



Rather local; living in flocks, and seems always to resort 

 during the day to the same grove of palm-trees, to which, on 

 being disturbed, they would return after a short flight. I have 

 noticed this species as not unfrequent in the vicinity of Catania 

 in Sicily. 



57. CicoNiA ALBA. White Stork, 

 Common, but rather wild. 



58. CicoNiA NIGRA. Black Stork. 



Frequently seen, but less abundant than the former species. 



59. Platalea leucorodia. Spoonbill. 

 Abundant ; but very wild, and difficult to shoot. 



60. (Edicnemus crepitans. Common Thick-knee, 

 Tolerably abundant. We found these birds particularly good 



to eat. 



6L HoPLOPTERUs spiNOSus, Spur-wingcd Plover. 



Gould's Birds of Europe, vol. iv. pi. 293. 

 About the commonest bird in the country, and very noisy 



E 2 



