BIRDS OF EGYPT. 263 



Entire face and pouch witliout feathers and of a bright 

 scarlet ; plumage white, with a roseate shade on the body, 

 strongest on and under the wings ; quills, primary-coverts, 

 and tail black, with a bright metallic bronzy-green gloss ; 

 beak yellow ; legs dusky olive ; irides dark brown. 



Entire length 34 inches ; culmen 8"5 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 17, tarsus 7'7. 



Fig. Wolf, Zool. Illustr., 2nd series, pi. 46. 



571. Grus cinerea, Bechst. Common Crane. 



This is a common winter visitant both in Egypt and Nubia, 

 arriving in October and leaving again in March. 



During their stay they may frequently be met with in 

 flocks on the sandbanks and desert spaces by the river, or 

 in the wide plains of halfa grass. When on the wing they 

 fly in long lines one behind the other, at even distances, 

 frequently uttering their cry, which may be heard at a con- 

 siderable distance. They are extremely watchful and very 

 difficult to approach. 



Forehead covered with black hairs ; top of the head naked 

 and red ; back of the head and front of the throat dark slaty 

 grey ; remainder of the plumage pale slaty grey ; the secon- 

 daries very much elongated and forming a large pendent 

 plume, which covers the tail and is darkest towards the points 

 of the feathers ; beak olive-green, inclining to red at the base 

 of the lower mandible ; legs black ; irides reddish brown. 



Entire length 46 inches ; culmen 5 ; wing, carpus to tip, 

 26 ; tarsus 10. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 2/0. 



