FROM THE EAST. 533 



differed from the other vultures, both in size and colour, and 

 I examined these rarities with the glass when but a short 

 distance from them. We stopped the steamer and tried to 

 stalk the wary birds, but our attempt was unhappily quite 

 unsuccessful. 



I never saw the Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) 

 either in the Arabian mountains or in those of Palestine, 

 though it appears to be not so very rare in both ; but I ob- 

 served this splendid Vulture-Eagle in the rocky range that 

 marks the boundary of the desert in the province of Fayum. 

 I had already heard that it does occasionally, but very rarely, 

 visit the frontier mountains of Egypt in its wanderings, and 

 was therefore delighted at seeing an immature bird in the 

 dark plumage circling several times above the rocks of the 

 inland of Bezire-el-Karun. 



I had also two opportunities of observing the Egyptian 

 Eagle- Owl (J3ubo ascalaphus), which in Northern Africa 

 takes the place of our Eagle-Owl (Bubo maximus), but is 

 somewhat smaller and very variable in colour. I first saw 

 this beautiful bird at the pyramids of Gizeh, while we were 

 making the Arabs beat them for jackals. Just as the drive 

 was almost over one of these owls left the third small pyramid 

 and flew warily off into the desert, but it was unfortunately 

 so far from me that I could not get a good shot. I again 

 met with it at Medinet Abu, and could easily have killed it. 

 I was sitting one evening at the foot of the high desert 

 mountains, when shortly after sundown an owl came from 

 the hills and flew towards the plain, passing me quite close 

 and low. My keen love of sport, however, overcame my 

 ornithological instincts, and not wishing to spoil one of my 

 usually successful night expeditions after the larger beasts of 

 prey, I did not fire. 



I never met \vith the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) 

 in Egypt, though I went up to the Nubian frontier, which 



