10 Hon. N. C. Rotliscliild and Mr. A. F. R. Wollastou 



a very bright chestnut mantle. The female can only be 

 distinguished from the same sex of the House-Sparrow by its 

 smaller size. It was first described by Brehm (Naumanuia, 

 1856, p. 377) from specimens obtained at Khartum; Emin 

 Pasha subsequently found it at Lado, a long way further 

 south. At Shendi it is exceedingly common, especially 

 frequenting the patches of cultivation round the houses on 

 the river-bank. In its habits it is very mucli like our House- 

 Sparrow, and its chirping note is quite indistinguishable. 



We foimd several nests of this bird in iMarch : they 

 were loose structures of dry grass and feathers, and were 

 placed in crevices of the hard mud bank on the west side 

 of the Nile. The eggs resemble those of other Sparrows, 

 biit are devoid of all gloss ; they are of a whitish-buff 

 ground-colour, speckled all over with rusty brown and 

 greyish brown, and having some underlying mauve spots ; 

 the spots and patches form a vague zone about the thick end. 

 They are considerably smaller than those of P. domesticus. 

 The greatest number of eggs found in one nest was three. 



16. Passer LUTEUs (Lieht.). 



90 J, 121 6, 154 6, 155 6, 161 6, 84 j, 88 6, 

 163 ? , 160 ? , 162 ? , 22 (?) juv., 354 (?). 



This beautiful yellow Sparrow was exceedingly abundant 

 at Shendi, increasing in numbers towards the end of our stay. 

 Flocks of fifty and upwards might be seen almost at any 

 time flying northwards along the river-bank ; they were 

 never seen to proceed in the other direction. They are very 

 partial to water, and might sometimes be seen in enormous 

 flocks bathing in the shallow pools of the river. 



17. Petuonia PYRGiTA (HeugHu). 

 170 J, 171 ?. 



Our two specimens are rather pale above, and are slightly 

 larger than typical specimens from Abyssinia in the Tring 

 Museum. 



This was a rare bird at Shendi ; besides the specimens 

 obtained we saw no others. They were found at the top of 

 a tall acacia-tree on the west bank of the Nile, and when the 



