BIEDS OF EGYPT. 373 



when disturbed make a great clamour with their loud harsh 

 voices. On the wing they look very peculiar, as they fly 

 with their long necks and legs stretched out. 



Head, neck, body, and tail white, delicately shaded with 

 pink ; quills black ; scapulars bright pink ; upper and under 

 wing-coverts brilliant vermilion ; legs and two thirds of the 

 bill pink, remainder of the bill jet-black ; iridcs pale yellow. 



Entire length 45 inches ; culmen 5"7 ; wing, carpus to tip, 

 16 ; unfeathered part of the leg 19 ; tarsus 19. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 287. 



Fam. EALLID^. 



286. Rallus aquaticus, L. Water-Bail. 



This species is a Avinter visitant, and is plentiful in Lower 

 Egypt and the Fayoom, where I have frequently killed it, 

 but has not been met with, to my knowledge, in Nubia. It 

 frequents the sedgy districts, and when disturbed only flies a 

 short distance to the nearest patch of thick covert. 



Entire upper parts brown, with dark centres to the 

 feathers ; underparts uniform slaty grey, excepting on the 

 flanks, sides of the abdomen, and under tail-coverts, which in 

 the female are black, barred with white ; in the male the vent 

 and under tail-coverts are buff" ; beak red, shading into black 

 on the culmen and towards the tip ; legs reddish brown ; 

 irides red. 



Entire length 10 inches; culmen 1'6 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 4'6 ; tarsus 15. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 339. 



T 



