Ornithology of the Egyptian Soudan. 3G3 



c. ? ? Khartoum, Nov. 25, 1902. 



d. ? ? „ Nov. 26, 1902. 

 €. S- » Dec. 2, 1902. 

 /. S • „ Dec. 23, 1902. 



The Lanner is quite the commonest Falcon along the 

 White and Blue Niles. There is almost always a pair fre- 

 quenting the palm-trees of Khartoum, but it is very seldom 

 that more than two of the birds are seen in the neigbourliood 

 at the same time. If, however, one of them is shot, it is sure 

 to be replaced by a new arrival within a day or two. This 

 happened half a dozen times in the winter of 1902 when I 

 shot my specimens. 



The Khartoum Falcons go a great distance up the White 

 Nile during the day in search of the small Waders, Wagtails, 

 &c. which crowd its banks, usually returning to roost in the 

 date-palms about half an hour after sunset. They always 

 take exactly the same line, and come rushing home through 

 the gathering gloom at a tremendous speed. Almost all 

 my specimens were shot in the evening by waiting for them 

 at the same point. All of them, with the exception of a 

 beautiful adult male, are in the brown plumage of imma- 

 turity, some shewing a few grey feathers on the back. One 

 of them had a Blackcap Warbler in its claws, which was so 

 little damaged as to make a good skin. 



The following notes on the species are from my diaries : — 



" March 22, 1901. Visiting the old quarry at the Meroe 

 pyramids with Rothschild and Wollaston we disturbed a 

 quantity of bats, and as they flew out into the open a pair 

 of Lanner Falcons appeared and began hawking them 

 vigorously, each quickly catching one. Later, we found their 

 nest with three young in down on one of the pyramids. A 

 Bateleur Eagle which passed close to the nest was attacked 

 and driven off." 



" Dec. 2, 1902. A Lanner Falcon picked up a little Ringed 

 Plover close to me wonderfully smartly this evening. The 

 Plover was toddling along on the mud within a few yards 

 of me ; the Falcon came down at a slant with a rush 

 like a hurricane. As he struck the Plover he lowered and 



