252 Mr. TI. ¥. \\\t\\evhy— Ornithological 



turned rapidly round in it as they built in tlie stuff which 

 they had brought. I saw one of the birds plastering cob- 

 webs on the outside. The male, and possibly the female also, 

 has a quiet piping note of one syllable. 



Adult. Iris dark brown ; bill black, with base of lower 

 mandible pale slate-colour ; legs and feet bluish grey. 



32. Laniarius erythrogaster (Cretzschm.). 



We only saw four birds of this species, though it is not 

 likely to escape observation. Two were seen at Kawa and 

 two at Shebesha. 



Adult. Iris pale straw-colour ; l)ill black ; legs and feet 

 dark slate-colour. 



33. Telephonus remigialis Hartl. et Finsch. 



This seemed to be a species of local distribution. We 

 only observed it between Shebesha and Gerazi, where it was 

 not uncommon. The actions of this bird are beautiful and 

 fascinating. It leaves a tree with a downward swoop, then 

 glides gently up with tail and wings outspread, singing 

 sweetly as it rises. 



It is rather shy, hiding itself on the further side of the 

 bush or tree as soon as it catches sight of an intruder. 



Adult. Iris mauve ; bill black ; legs and feet olive-green. 



34. Argya acacia (Licht.). 



A few of these birds were frequenting some thick bush 

 near Gerazi, south of which we did not observe them. They 

 "were more common nearer Khartum, where, some four or five 

 miles from the river, companies of six or seven inhabited 

 scattered thorn-bushes in the wastes. They shared the 

 desert with the Sand-Grouse, the only other bird to be seen 

 so far from the river as this, unless it was an occasional 

 Pigeon. This Babbler is as often seen on the ground as in 

 a bush, and its tracks, with those of Sand-Groiise, were 

 everywhere plainly impressed upon the hard soil. It is a 

 shy bird, and knows well how to keep its distance, running 

 rapidly along the sand and then taking a short flight, low 

 and straight. The alarm-note is a fairly loud and very 

 shrill '' whee," very rapidly uttered some four or five times. 



