1921.] Birds of Lower Egypt. 385 



1916, a third on the old canal swamp near my quarters. 

 During that winter, and throughout my stay in Egypt, I saw 

 Crakes during each month of the year. (I shot a bird on 

 19 A{)ril, 1917, which was wrongly identified as a Little 

 Crake. It was in breeding condition. On 5 August, 1917, 

 when com[>aring skins in the Giza Museum, this bird proved 

 to be F. pusilla intermedia.) I searched diligently for a 

 nest, and on 29 April succeeded in finding one containing 

 six eggs, fifty per cent, incubated. These 1 took to belong 

 to P. parva at the time, but subsequent comparison by the 

 Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain with a large series, proves them to 

 be^ in all probabilit}', F. p. intermedia. 



I could have made definitely certain, had 1 known at the 

 time that any doubt existed, for, on 3 May in the same year, 

 I caught two young Crakes ali\e in the same patch of reeds, 

 and saw the parent birds creeping about several tiines^ but 

 refrained from destroying them. Efforts were made by the 

 Giza Zoological Service to rear these chicks, but were un- 

 successful. 



I was never able to clear the matter up to my own satis- 

 faction^ but shot specimens of F. parva on 28 February and 

 2(j March, 1917, in the same locality as that in which I 

 discovered the eggs and young, and on the old canal swamp 

 on 28 December, 1918. In the latter place I saw young- 

 Crakes on 19 May, 1918, but was unable to obtain an adult. 



[At Inchas on 20. iv. 10 I shot a (Jrake, which Mr. NicoU 

 identified as F. parva, and I believe the skin is still in the 

 Giza Museum. From the late date it ought to have been 

 breeding, but I failed to find a nest. — R. S.] 



222. Gallinula chloropus. Moorhen. 



This species is a resident in suitable places, but is not very 

 numerous at Abu Zabaal in the breedins-season. Its 

 numbers are increased in the winter, at which season I often 

 saw it. 



I found incubated eggs at Inchas on 17 May, 1916, and 

 also on 12 May, 1917, in the same locality. On 29 Septem- 

 ber, 1917, I shot a young bird, at Inchas, still unable to fiy. 



