°'i9i5 ] Phillips, Birds of Sinai. 279 



Partridges, Egyptian Quail, European Rollers, Great Grey Shrikes, 

 Crested Larks, Wheatears, Goat-suekers, and three species of 

 Swallows, the Common European, the Red-rumped, and the Dead 

 Sea Crag-Martin. 



After we left Kerak we hurried on to Jerusalem, crossing many of 

 the Dead Sea ravines, now filled with oleanders in full bloom. The 

 olive groves of the various towns we passed through were well 

 supplied with birds, and resounded with the songs of Goldfinches 

 and Black-caps, while Greater Tits and many common warblers 

 were present in large numbers. The only rarity we took was the 

 Barred Warbler, which apparently has not before been taken in 

 Palestine. 



We reached Jerusalem on May 15 and after this the only birds 

 collected were taken by Mr. Mann from the Mt. Herman region 

 west of Damascus. 



The total number of species in the collection is ninety. 



STRUTHIONIDiE. 



Struthio camelus Linn. Ostrich. — Ostrich eggs were common 

 among the Arabs at Maan, on the Hadj Railroad. I was told that they 

 came from the desert two days' journey east and northeast of that town. 



Phasianidce. 



Caccabis chukar synaica (Bp.). Chukar Partridge. — One o 7 '; 

 Madeba, May 10. This specimen is the same as the Jerusalem series in the 

 Selah Merrill Coll., Museum Comparative Zoology, and only a little different 

 from a Kurdestan specimen. It is much paler than birds from northern 

 India. The chukar is scarce in Sinai but plentiful along the crest of the 

 Moab plateau. 



Ammoperdix heyi (Temm.). Hey's Partridge; See-see. — Four 

 specimens; Wady Hamer, Sinai, April 9, Wady Kerak, Dead Sea, May 5. 



These two pairs, one from Sinai, the other from the Dead Sea, differ 

 markedly; enough to suggest two forms. Comparison with the Selah 

 Merrill series of over 30 in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, taken near 

 Jerusalem, does not bear this out, for this series shows a great range of 

 color. Some males are much darker all over than others; some females 

 are barred all over the under parts, while some are nearly plain buff-colored. 

 Nicoll (Ibis, 1909, p. 640) in discussing the African form A. h. cholmleyi 

 O. Grant, refers to the presence or absence of white lores and forehead in 

 Egyptian specimens. A. h. cholmleyi is supposed to laek the white lores 



