134 BIEDS OF EGYPT. 



greater coverts and the inner secondaries nearly black, with 

 very broad sandy edges, remainder of the feathers on the 

 wing very narrowly edged with pale sandy, almost approach- 

 ing to white ou the wing-coverts ; tail-feathers rather narrow 

 and pointed, the two outer ones on each side white, the exterior 

 one having about half the inner web brown, the next with 

 the shaft and two-thirds of the inner web of that colour, 

 remainder of the tail brown, with paler edges to the feathers ; 

 lores white ; eyebrow cream-colour ; underparts white, shaded 

 with sandy yellow on the front of the chest, where there are 

 a few brown spots ; the sides of the throat are also slightly 

 spotted ; beak and legs yellowish flesh-colour, the former 

 inclining to brown on the upper mandible ; irides brown. 



Entire length 5*9 inches ; culmen 06 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 3"1 ; tarsus 1. 



98. Anthus campestris, Bechst. Taicny Pipit. 



This species is abundantly distributed throughout Egypt 

 and Nubia. It is an early spring visitant, arriving about 

 the middle of February. It chiefly frequents the confines of 

 the desert, where its plumage harmonizes with the colour of 

 the sand, and renders it difficult to be seen. 



Entire upper plumage pale sandy-brown, the centre of the 

 feathers inclining to dark brown, which gives it a somewhat 

 mottled appearance, especially on the head; wings dark 

 brown, the feathers edged with pale sandy-brown ; tail dark 

 brown, the two outer feathers broadly edged with dull white, 

 the two centre ones with pale sandy-brown ; underparts 

 buff", inclining to very pale russet-brown on the chest and 

 flanks, the former occasionally marked with small longitu- 



