BIRDS OF EGYPT. 191 



Entire length 22 inches; culmen 1'55 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 15'8 ; tarsus 2*2. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Asia. pt. xx. 

 177. Falco ^salon, Linn. Merlin. /i^ ^ 



The Merlin, which is extremely abundant in Egypt in 

 spring, rarely extends its range so far south as Nubia. It 

 may generally be met with in clumps of sont trees, and in 

 some woods near Benisouef I have seen as many as thirty 

 in a day, yet I never met with a single female specimen. 

 This great preponderance of males, which has also been re- 

 marked by Mr. E. C. Taylor (Ibis 1859, p. 45), leads me to 

 believe that it rarely, if ever, breeds in Egypt, although I 

 have seen it as late as the end of April, though apparently 

 not paired at that season. 



Male. — Upper plumage bright blue-grey, the centre of the 

 feathers streaked with black ; a narrow edging of white 

 feathers to the forehead, and a well-defined rufous collar on 

 the nape ; quiUs dusky, the inner webs barred with grey or 

 white ; a band an inch broad at the end of the tail dusky, the 

 feathers tipped with white, and all but the two centre feathers 

 barred with dusky on their inner webs ; throat white, re- 

 mainder of the underparts ferruginous white, darkest on the 

 thighs and streaked and spotted with dark brown on the 

 centres of the feathers ; cere, base of the bill, and legs yellow, 

 remainder of the beak horn-blue ; irides brown. 



Entire length 11 inches; culmen 0*7 ; wing, carpus to tip, 

 8 ; tarsus 1*4. 



The description is taken from Egyptian specimens in my 

 collection. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Enr. pi. 24. 



