of North-eastei'n Africa. 85 



served A. minor in the coast-country of Abyssinia. The spe- 

 cimens collected by me near ]Masana and on the Adail coast 

 are, indeed, perceptibly smaller than Egyptian examples ; the 

 other characters, again, suit better with A. familiaris. 



According to the dwelling-places, season, and age, the prin- 

 cipal colour varies between a bright rusty and light cream-colour 

 or light reddish-grey. The black spots before the tip of the 

 rectrices are sometimes large, angular, and sharply defined, 

 and sometimes smaller, rounded, and indistinct ; the white tips 

 themselves and the light borders of the wing-coverts are some- 

 times very fresh and broad, sometimes faded, discoloured, and 

 worn ; in one specimen, of this species, the whitish superciliary 

 streak is sharply marked, in others scarcely indicated. South- 

 European examples may be on the average considerably larger 

 than Egyptian specimens. A. minor, from Abyssinia, again, is 

 smaller than specimens from Egypt, and the bill is also weaker. 

 I give the measurements of such a bird from the Berlin Museum : 

 —Bill 6" 2"'; wing 2" 10'", tail 2" 5"', tarsus 11'". On the 

 other hand, the diflference in the primaries described by Dr. 

 Cabanis does not occur. 



This may be a stationary bird in the districts of Southern 

 Arabia, the Samher and Adel Coasts, and also probably in 

 Abyssinia. On the contrary, it is a bird of passage in Egypt, 

 Nubia, and East Sudan, where it usually arrives between the 

 lOth and 15th of April, migrating southwards again in Sep- 

 tember. It lives in gardens, reed-thickets, cotton-fields, mimosa- 

 woods, hedges, and ditches, and usually shows less preference 

 than the Nightingale for very shady and dense underwood; it 

 also differs from the Nightingale in its song and call-note, and 

 in its general behaviour. It pleases by its rather shy and yet 

 lively nature, which somewhat reminds one of that of a Thrush. 

 It often flutters quickly from twig to twig, up to the very top 

 of a tree, constantly moving, spreading, and closing its tail ; 

 soon it is seen running about briskly upon the bare ground, or 

 under the bushes and dry grass, hunting for worms and cater- 

 pillers ; suddenly it emits a Thrush-like cry of fear, and flies 

 noisily into the bushes. The birds of each pair keep together; 

 the breeding-business begins as early as the end of April. As to 



