244 BIRDS OF EGYPT. 



of the Delta and the Fayoom. I have seen it in Upper Egypt 

 as late as the end of April, but found it niost plentiful in the 

 Fayoom and Lower Egypt, where I have frequently killed 

 specimens. 



Head, neck, and chest brownish buff, with dark brown 

 centres to the feathers on these parts and on the flanks ; 

 chin, upper part of the throat, and remainder of the under- 

 parts white, the axillaries with a few brown marks near the 

 ends of some of the feathers ; back and scapulars dark brown, 

 edged with buff; wings dark brown, edged and barred with 

 buff on the inner half, and with white on the outer half, 

 except on the exterior web of some of the outer primaries ; 

 rump and upper tail-coverts white, the latter with dark brown 

 centres to the feathers ; tail white, barred with brown and 

 shaded with buff; beak fleshy brown shading into dark 

 brown towards the tip ; legs dusky ; irides brown. 



Entire length 22 inches ; culmen 4 to 6 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 12; tarsus 32. 



Specimens vary considerably in size, the females being 

 generally the largest and having the longest bill. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 302. 



245. NuMENius pHjEOPUS, Linn. Whimbrel. 



The Whimbrel is to be met with on the banks of the Nile 

 in small flocks in the winter (Von Heuglin, Syst. Ueb. p. 62). 



Somewhat similar in plumage to N. arquata, but of a 

 smaller size, and diSering in the following points : — top of the 

 head brown ; tail-coverts more distinctly barred with brown ; 

 axillaries distinctly barred with brown ; flanks barred with 

 brown, and lower part of the chest slightly so. 



