1922.] the Near East and T/'ojucal East Africa. 71 



In Egypt autumn jjassagc usually conimences during the 

 last ten tlaj'sof August and is at its height during the second 

 week in September, the bulk moving farther south to the 

 Sudan where tliey are common in winter. A few reach 

 Kenya Colony, ^Yhere I obtained a male at Mbuyuni on the 

 Serengeti Plains on ll.iii. 191(). But it seems to be the 

 exception for the European Quail to cross the Equator, their 

 usual southern limit in winter beino" a line from the Gambia 

 in western Africa to the Equatorial Provinces of the Sudan, 

 and thence to Abyssinia and northern Somaliland. 



Spring passage in Egypt lasts from the latter half of 

 March to the middle or end of April. 



This eastern Mediterranean passage of Quail extends from 

 Palestine, through Sinai and Egy[tt to about Mersa Matruli 

 (200 miles west of Alexandria^. Very few birds pass 

 through Solium (300 miles west of Alexandria), and the bird 

 is practically unknown at Siwa Oasis in the western Desert 

 of Egypt. 



It may be of interest to point out that whereas in 1908 

 the total number of quail exported from Egypt amounted to 

 1,208,000 birds (which is by no means the total number of 

 birds killed) that figure has systematically fallen, till in 191G 

 but 551,400 were exported. The figures are ominous. 



Coturnix coturnix africana Temm. & Schleg. 



The occurrence of this race in Egypt (see Nicoll, Handlist 

 Birds of Egypt, p. 81) is incorrect. All Nicoll's specimens, 

 which I have examined, are merely the red variety of the 

 typical race (C haldami). 



C. c. africana appears to be resident in South Africa, 

 Uganda, and Kenya (blony, where it is not rare in culti- 

 vation round Nairobi and in the Kikuyu Country. Also 

 Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. 



BURHINUS (EDICNEMUS. 



Burhinus cedicnemus cedicnemus (L.). 



A specimen obtained at Kisumu on the Victoria Nyanza 

 on lo.i. 17. This is the second record from tropical East 



