BIEDS OF EGYPT. 223 



to taking wing. Mr. E. C. Taylor mentions his having ob- 

 tained a specimen at Assouan (Ibis, 1867, p. 67). Canon 

 Tristram gives a good account of its habits (Ibis, 1868, 

 p. 214). 



Male. — General plumage deep sandy buff, washed with 

 dark grey on the crown and cheeks; rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, and centre tail-feathers sandy buff, pencilled and 

 barred with brown ; lateral tail-feathers chestnut ; primaries 

 brown, blotched on their outer margins with buff ; secondaries 

 pencilled with black ; lores and a stripe behind the eye white, 

 bordered above and below with dusky brown ; breast deep 

 buff; remainder of the under surface of the body chestnut 

 and white, with the sides of the feathers black ; under tail- 

 coverts reddish orange ; beak orange ; legs olive-yellow ; 

 irides brown. 



Entire length 9 inches ; culmen, 0'7 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 4*8; tarsus 1'5. 



Female. — Entire plumage greyish buff, mottled and pen- 

 cilled with pale buff and black, and with a wash of reddish 

 buff on the shoulders and back. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Asia, part iii. 



218. CoTTJRNix COMMUNIS, Bonn. Common Quail. ■-, '~Z- ■ 



A few Quail remain in Egypt throughout the year. The 

 migratory birds arrive there in abundance towards the be- 

 ginning of March and again in November, the greater number 

 only passing through the country on their way to and from 

 Europe ; but still many remain to breed. When these 

 travellers have arrived in the country the fact soon becomes 



