114 Mr. W. L. S. Loat on Birds 



bare ; then comes a stretch of wet ground with a little low- 

 growing vegetation and a few scattered pools. The village 

 itself is placed on a low sandy mound. About half a 

 mile away, and some two hundred yards from the edge of 

 the Lake, is a patch of cultivated ground about five acres 

 in extent, divided by trenches and surrounded by a raised path 

 with a border of bushes and a few stunted trees, which form 

 a favourite haunt for Warblers and small birds. In the 

 following pages this piece of ground will be simply referred 

 to as the " patch of cultivated land." Half a mile from the 

 lake are several pools surrounded by tall reeds. To the 

 north-west is a wide stretch of more or less sandy ground 

 covered with rough grass, with every here and there bare 

 patches and large shallow pools. About a mile from the 

 village and in the direction of Damietta is the cultivated 

 land. 



In the arrangement of the species I have followed Capt. 

 Shelley's ' Handbook of the Birds of Egypt/ but I have 

 generally used the names of the B. 0. U. List for the British 

 species. Those marked with an asterisk (*) were identified, 

 but not obtained. 



1. *Turdus musicus. Song-Thrush. 



On March 11th, while walking through some fields of 

 broad beans, a large number of these birds were put up. 



2. *Turdus merula. Blackbird. 



On March 11th a single specimen of this species was seen. 



3. Monticola saxatilis. Rock-Thrush. 

 A female was obtained on April 19th. 



4. Saxicola genanthe. Wheatear. 

 Common, especially in the vicinity of the village. 



5. Saxicola saltatrix. Menetries's Wheatear. 



Fairly numerous, and, like the former species, generally to 

 be found on the outskirts of the village. 



6. Saxicola stapazina. 



" Saxicola stapazina Linn/'; Salvadori, Ibis, 1904, p. 77. 



