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to black on the head ; neck, rump and abdomen, beak and 

 frontal shield red tmged with orange (Shelley). 



The young bird is brown with indigo blue on the flanks 

 and thighs. 



343. Moorhen. Gallinula clilorofus (Linnseus), 



Gallinula chloropus. Shelley, p. 275. 



Eesident in most parts of Lower Egypt, though its numbers 

 are increased, presumably by migrants, during the winter. 



Length about 13 inches. Upper parts deep olive brown , 

 head, neck, and under parts dark grey streaked on the flanks 

 with white ; abdomen greyish ; mider tail coverts white, some- 

 times washed with rusty rufous ; bill yellow, with base and 

 frontal shield red ; legs greenish yellow, with a red band below 

 the feathered part. 



Young birds are much paler and greyer. 



344. Coot. Fulica atra Linnaeus. 



Fidica atra. Shelley, p. 278. 



Abundant on the lakes, swamps, and open sheets of water 

 during the winter months, and a few doubtless breed, though 

 the great majority are visitors from the north. 



Length about 14 inches. Upper parts dark slate grey, 

 below black ; a white bar on the wing, which only shows during 

 flight ; bill flesh coloured, the frontal shield ivory white ; legs 

 dark olive green ; toes lobed. 



345. Crested Coot. Fulica cristata Linnaeus. 



Fulica cristata. Shelley, p. 278. 



I only include this species as Shelley considers it to be, or 

 to have been, met with in Egypt. Personally I have never met 

 with it, though I have had some hundreds of coots through 

 my hands. 



Similar to the common coot, but having two red knobs 

 on the white frontal shield. 



ALECTORIDES. 



346. Grey Crane. Grus grus (Linnaeus). 

 Grus communis. Shelley, p. 263. 

 Most abundant during the spring migration. Common 

 during the autumn passage, and a few winter in the country. 



