Letters, Announcements, S^c. 149 



At least three examples of ErytJiropus vespertinus (L.), all old 

 birds, have been obtained during the past summer at Uleaborg 

 and Kajana, lat. 65° and 64°"5 N., and several others observed. 

 I believe this species to be a real yet rare inhabitant of Finland. 

 All the specimens procured belong to the true E. vespertinus, 

 and not to the E. amurensis (Radde) of Gurney (Ibisj 1868, 

 p. 4). 



I possess a specimen of Calamodyta schoenohanus (L.) [Sylvia 

 p)hragmitis, Bechst.) obtained at Uleaborg at the end of July 

 last by Mr. Dahlstrom. Wilhelm von Wright observed this 

 species at Karesuando, lat. 68°'5 N., and Lilljeborg at Troraso 

 in West Finmark. 



I should be obliged by your publishing these notes in the 

 next number of ' The Ibis/ and remain, Sir, 



Yours, &c., 



A. J, Malmgren*. 



London, Nov. 15, 1869. 



Sir, — I visited Egypt at the beginning of this year, and with 

 my brother made a voyage on the Nile from Cairo to Assouan 

 and back. The trip lasted from the 27tli of January till the 

 10th of April, during which period we made a few notes and 

 collected some specimens, which, from this locality, I believe are 

 new to most ornithologists. On the present occasion I must 

 confine my remarks to Elanus cceruleus (Desf.) — Falco melano- 

 pterus, Daud. 



This sociable pretty little Hawk is too well known to require 

 much to be said upon the bird itself. It lives upon insects and 

 mice, and I never observed any other food in the crops of four 

 specimens which I examined. The flight is i-ather peculiar and 

 varied ; at Girgeh, where I first saw a pair playing together, they 

 looked very like the Common Gull. The shortness of the tail 

 detracts, to my mind, much from the elegance of the bird^s flight, 

 and gives it an Owl-like appearance, which is somewhat strength- 

 ened by the hour at which I saw it on the wing, sometimes 

 hovering over the water late in the evening while I have been 

 watching for Ducks. The irides of this species arc exactly the 



* [C/. suprh, p. 132.— Ed. J 



