68 BIRDS OF EGYPT. 



our limits, while in some parts of Nubia it is very plentiful, 

 especially near Wady-Halfeh, where it may be seen usually in 

 pairs or families, hopping abouT; on the roofs of the houses 

 or flitting among the trees which are interspersed in that 

 village. The Rev. A. C. Smith, in his 'Attractions of the 

 Nile' (vol. ii. p. 222), gives a very good description of the 

 habits of this species, which he calls Ixos obscurus. 



Head brownish black, shading off gradually on the throat ; 

 the latter, as well as the crop, remainder of the upper parts 

 and M'ings, uniform medium brown ; tail rather darker; chest, 

 abdomen, and under tail-coverts white. Beak brownish black ; 

 legs and irides dark brown. 



Entire length 7'2 inches ; culmen 0*6 ; wing, carpus to tip, 

 3*4 ; tarsus OS. 



7. PYCNONOTUSXANTHOPTGius(Licht.). Yellow-vented Bulbul. 



Von Heuglin mentions (Syst. Ueb. p. 30) that P. levail- 

 lantii, Temiu., is found in the Fayoom and Middle Egypt, 

 and in his large work (Orn. N. 0. Afr. p. 399) reiterates the 

 statement, calling the bird P. nigricans, Vieill. Mr. Sharpe 

 (Ibis, 1870, p. 432), in referring to this last work, writes: — 

 " I rather doubt if a comparison of the true Ixus nigricans, 

 from South Africa, with Abyssinian specimens would confirm 

 the identity of the two species." It appears far more pro- 

 bable that P. xanthopygius, a Palestine bird, should be met 

 with in Egypt than P. nigricans, the South-African form ; 

 and as the two differ but very slightly, the South-African 

 bird being distinguishable by a red eyelid, it appears highly 

 probable that Von Heuglin has confounded the two species ; 

 so I have regarded the names P. nigricans and P. levail- 



