ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 



FROM 



THE EAST. 



EGYPT, up to the Nubian frontier, and Palestine were the 

 countries that I travelled through and investigated to the 

 best of my ability. It is, however, no exhaustive account of 

 their faunas that is now presented to the reader, but a simple 

 statement of my observations. 



The task I have undertaken may be divided into two 

 sections the first being a list of all the species killed either 

 by my fellow travellers or myself, with my remarks concern^ 

 ing them ; the second a collection of notes relating to thQ. 

 birds which we undoubtedly saw but failed to secure. I 

 ought, however, to begin by saying that the journey took 

 place at a time when many of our migrants had already left 

 their winter-quarters, a fact that will account to naturalists 

 for the absence of a string of species which one would cer- 

 tainly expect to find in Egypt during the winter months. 



In the enumeration of the birds observed I have followed 

 Brehm's system, and have only had to insert five species that 

 are not included in his t Thierleben.' 



