288 



BIEDS OF EGYPT. 



308. Mareca PENELOPE (Linn.). Widgeon. 



The Widgeon is plentiful in Lower Egypt in the wintei", 

 where I have shot it twice and frequently seen it, and it is 

 generally to be found in the market at Alexandria. Up the 

 Nile it appears to be of rare occurrence ; for I have not ob- 

 served it above Cairo nor in the Fayoom. 



Forehead and top of the head huff ; remainder of the head 

 and neck chestnut; back grey, owing to the feathers being 

 evenly barred with black and white ; tail-coverts black, 

 edged on their inner web with white ; tail dusky ; primaries 

 brown ; secondaries black, with the lower half of the outer 

 web metallic green ; greater wing-coverts tipped with black ; 

 remainder of the wing-coverts white, except on the carpal 

 bend, where they are dusky ; fore part of the chest ferru- 

 ginous pink, remainder of the chest and abdomen white ; 

 flanks grey like the back ; beak grey, tipped with black ; 

 legs black ; irides brown. 



Entire length 21 inches; culmen r4 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 10'3 ; tarsus \2t. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 359. 



309. Nyroca leucophthalma (Bechst.). Ferruginons Duck. 



This Duck ranges throughout Egypt and Nubia, but 

 is most plentiful on the large lakes of the Fayoom and Lower 

 Egypt. On Birket el Korn I daily saw immense flocks of 

 many thousands together far out on the centre of the lake, 

 which when disturbed rose with a running flight, striking 

 the water rapidly with their feet, and making a noise in so 



