Bird Notes and News 



63 



the stick, and catching it in its beak, then 

 dropping it again, and gripping it -with one 

 foot. This is repeated several times, until 

 the Rook, apparently tiring of the game, 

 drops the stick and flies off to greet a friend. 

 At times they collect in large numbers, to- 

 gether with carrion crowds, and Hoodies, and 

 feed amiably enough in ' No Man's Land.' 

 Some parts of the front are more favoured 

 than others, and I know of one place where 

 the Hoodies can be counted by the hundreds." 



The communication of " C. P. B.," from 

 an Egyptian camp at Marsa Matruh {Field, 

 March 17th, 1917), ^vill interest many 

 members of the Society by its allusion to 

 the trade in Quails, alluded to by Brigadier- 

 General Page Croft, M.P., at the Annual 

 Meeting of the R.S.P.B. 



" By December the country was clear 

 of bird life except for the local residents. 

 In that month the little Ringed Plover 

 and Kentish Plover still strutted along 

 the shore, and a pair of Kingfishers 

 attracted attention as the weekly steamer 

 tied up to the buoys. The Pied Wag- 

 tail was by far the most common and 

 most tame, coming into the tents and mess 

 huts with impunity. The Desert Wheatear 

 and Short-toed Larks were noted, and I saw 

 a Western Mourning Chat — so called because 

 it is more distinctly black on white than 

 white on black — sitting on some telegraph 

 wires on Christmas eve. Among the rocks 

 the Stonechats were much in evidence. In 

 the wadis, or ravines, an occasional flock of 

 blue Rock Pigeons hovered round the water 

 holes. Even the hawks and falcons found 

 life dull, and moved to other hunting grounds, 

 though Egypt would not be Egypt without 

 an occasional Kestrel, Peregrine, Kite, or 

 Harrier. 



" During the first four months (August to 

 November) I saw the folloAving birds, and 

 had an expert been with me he would have 

 recognised, no doubt, many more ; bvit I 

 give these few for what they are worth : 

 Swallow (common and Egyptian), Crag 

 Martin, Starhng (common). Short-toed and 

 Bifasciated Lark. The last is described in 

 my notebook as grejdsh-brown body ; when 

 on the ground looks hke a big Thrush or 

 small Courser ; when it flies it shows two 

 distinct white stripes about |in. apart on 



the wings, hence the name bifasciata. Then 

 there were the Song Thrush, Rock Thrush, 

 Blackbird, Pied, Grey, and Blue-headed 

 Yellow Wagtails, the last named one of the 

 most graceful birds I saw. The Wheatears 

 were well represented. The Desert Chat was 

 the most common, always flying from bush 

 to bush or stone to stone, and showing the 

 white patch on his rump. The Stonechats 

 on the rocks played hide and seek in the 

 same way, while the Western Mourning 

 Chat sometimes sat on the wire fences busily 

 catching flies. Up till November the ChifE 

 chaff was very common, and a Lesser White- 

 throat put in an occasional appearance. 

 Shrikes, too, abounded ; rather hard to 

 distinguish, as many had not got their fuU 

 plumage, but I noted the lesser Grey Shrike, 

 Red-backed Shrike, and the Masked Shrike. 

 Fortunately for them there were plenty of 

 beetles, and the Shrikes had their " larders " 

 in Egypt, as elsewhere. The Pied and 

 Spotted Fl3^catchers made a short stay, as 

 did also a flock of Linnets. An occasional 

 Redstart, Blue-throated Warbler, and Robin 

 completed my hst of the smaller birds. 



" Quail began to arrive on August 23rd, and 

 for the next fortnight every bush, every bit 

 of scrub, supported a net. In other places 

 the Beduins supplement the netting by bush 

 beating, which seemed to be most successful. 

 One Avhistles to attract the bird, while the 

 other pulls a net, hung on poles about 6ft. 

 apart, over the bush or fig tree. The bird 

 seldom misses the net, and finds its way for 

 the price of one piastre (about 2|d.) into the 

 crate of the local dealer, who transmits it to 

 Alexandria. From there it journeys to 

 Leadenhall IMarket, and finally appears on 

 the plate of an epicure at the Savoy or Ritz, 

 who pays a sum for it which would keep 

 the Bedouin birdcatcher in food for days. 



" The Cream-coloured Courser, in lots of 

 three or four, was very common in August 

 and September, though they are wary birds 

 and difficult to get near. In a wadi, oi 

 ravine, about six miles from the coast — the 

 only place inland with pools of water in that 

 part of the country — I was lucky to find a 

 big pack of Sandgrouse, probably the so- 

 called Senegal Sandgrouse ; rather hke a 

 greyish-brown Pigeon with feathered legs, 

 but best recognised by its curious disyllabic 

 note. The same pools harboured Wild Duck, 

 Teal, and Snipe." 



