278 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant on Birds 



139. Pluvianus ^.gyptius (Linn.). 



These beautiful birds were common along the river-bank. 

 They were in pairs and were very noisy when disturbed. 

 Von Heuglin considered that this species bred in the Soudan 

 after the rainy season, but those which we shot were evidently 

 doing so, one female having a fully formed egg in the ovi- 

 duct. We never saw them near the crocodiles ! 



140. *CURS0RIUS GALLICUS Gm. 



These birds were fairly common along the river-bank in 

 small parties of from four to eight. 



141. ^Glareola pratincola (Linn.). 



Between Khartum and 30 miles to the south of it several 

 flocks of Pratincoles were seen during the first fortnight in 

 May. 



XXIII. — On the Birds collected by Mr. J. J. Harrison 

 between Zeila and Lakes Rudolf and Baringo, Eastern 

 Africa. By W. R. Ogilvie Grant. With an Introduction 

 by J. J. Harrison. 



(Plate VII.) 



[On November 5th, 1899, Mr. A. E. Butter, Mr. P. H. 

 Powell-Cotton, Mr. W. F. Whitehouse, and I landed at 

 Aden en route for Zeila on the Somali coast. Our hope 

 was to combine sport and survey-Avork, and if possible to 

 make our way south-westwards by Lake Rudolf to the White 

 Nile and thence to Khartum. We had with us Mr. Donald 

 Clarke, a first-rate practical surveyor, and Mr. Perks as 

 taxidermist. Though my friends were mainly occupied with 

 the pursuit of big game, my thanks are due to them for 

 bringing into camp various birds to add to the collection in 

 which I was interested. While at Zeila I procured, among 

 other birds, a Nightjar [Capriniulgus univini) — a pale Asiatic 

 form which had not been previously met with in Africa. On 

 leaving the coast, our caravan consisted of about 80 camels 

 and 63 Somalis picked from four different tribes^ all under a 

 splendid head-man, Mohamed Hassen. 



Directly we started we found out what a terribly hard task 

 lay before us. Two years of unprecedented drought had 



