42 Bird Notes from the Nile. 



throng retreat at the same time to their 

 respective corners to wait and watch for 

 the next chance of worrying their voracious 

 enemy. 



During the winter months there are a 

 great many Spanish Sparrows, but these 

 are only visitors, not residents, though 

 at times they are said to be quite as 

 numerous as the common sparrows, but 

 we did not see very many of them in Upper 

 Egypt. The Spanish Sparrows are much 

 like the others, but are rather darker in 

 colour and have reddish brown heads. 

 We found a baby sparrow that had fallen 

 from its nest at Edfu, and we tried to 

 rear it by hand, but it did not live long, 

 as it had been badly hurt by its fall. It 

 was a dear little thing, and got very tame 

 during the short time we had it. 



Various Finches are found in the 

 Delta, though there are very few in 

 Upper Egypt; but the pretty Trumpeting 

 Finch, or Desert Bullfinch, belongs to 

 Upper Egypt and Nubia, and may con- 

 stantly be both seen and heard on the 

 edge of the desert, among the halfa grass, 

 and also in the fields of ripe grain. It 



