1 92 1.] Birds of L(vcer Egijpf. 3B9 



150. Plegadis falcinellus falcinellus. Glossy Ibis. 



A few turn up at the Birket Accrashi every spring, 

 arriving during the first week in April, and remaining some 

 days. Specimens obtained. Never seen in the autumn. 



151. Ardea cinerea cinerea. Grey Heron. 



Numerous on the Birket Accrashi during the winter. 

 Arrives there in September from the north-east, and 

 occasionally remains nntil the entl of April. A wild pair 

 bred in the Zoological Gardens at Giza in 1918, but I have 

 no note of wh'jn they laid. I never met with it breeding 

 elsewhere in Egypt, and birds observed in the Fayum in 

 late March were not breeding" there. 



[Mr. Nicoll informed me that a pair nested in the Giza 

 Gardens in 1909, 1910, and 1911, and reared young in 1909 

 and 1910. In 1910 the young had flown by 15 March. — 

 U.S.] 



152. Ardea purpurea purpurea. Purple Heron. 



Purple Herons were noted on the Birket Accrashi during 

 every month of the year except July and August, at which 

 season all the swamp is dried up. I never obtained direct 

 evidence of their breeding in Egypt, but should not be sur- 

 prised if this were the case. 



153. Egretta alba alba. Great White Heron. 



On 12 November, 1915, I saw a single bird on the Birket 

 Accrashi. This was the only example to come under my 

 observation. 



154. Bubulcus ibis ibis. Buff -backed Heron. 



Thanks to a splendid scheme of protection and a careful 

 supervision by the Zoological Service, this species is again 

 becoming numerous and resident in Lower Egypt. During 

 the latter jiart of my stay at Abu Zabaal, Buff -backs were 

 often seen there, and during the winter considerable numbers 

 were observed on the marshy rice-fields at Marg. Several 

 large breeding colonies have been established in the Delta, 



