160 BIEDS OF EGYPT. 



breed in the country. It is rarely seen south of Cairo, al- 

 though upon one occasion I obsei'ved a few at Memphis ; 

 this may be owing to the fact that snails and slugs, delicacies 

 on which this bird delights to feed, are entirely absent from 

 Upper Egypt. 



Entire plumage blue-black. Legs and beak black, irides 

 dark brown. 



Entire length 18' 5 inches; culmen 2"3; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 11"5 ; tarsus 21. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 224. 



134. CoRVUS MONEDULA, Linn. Jackdaw. 



Von Heuglin (Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 498) observes that 

 RiippeU mentions the Jackdaw as plentiful in Lower Egypt. 

 I consider this evidence insufficient, and therefore give no 

 description of this well-known bird. 



135. Pica caudata, Keys. & Bl. Magpie. 



According to Bonaparte the Magpie is to be met with in 

 Egypt and Nubia, and Riippell states that it is tolerably 

 plentiful in Lower Egypt during the winter. Von Heuglin, 

 on the other hand (Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 497), affirms that it was 

 never seen by Hemprich and Ehrenberg, Brehm, or himself 

 in the course of all their travels in North-Eastern Africa. 

 There is a Magpie in the Frankfort Museum labelled " from 

 Egypt;" but as this may have been a tame bird, and as 

 the statements of Bonaparte and Riippell are not always to be 

 relied upon, 1 feci that ] sliould not be justified in including 



