386 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 93 



destitute of bird life except a couple of Turtledoves. There- 

 after this was the usual experience with the palm-trees, not 

 in them, but in species of acacia — the sont and the lebbek — 

 and in tamarisk trees were the birds found. Such trees lined 

 a street occupied by Europeans, in whose yards were trees, 

 shrubs, grass-plats, together with blooming roses and olean- 

 ders. In one of the sont trees was found a Masked Shrike 

 (Lanms nubicns), and in a nearby tree were two more of 

 the same species. They were handsome fellows : their white 

 underparts were bordered by bright rufous on sides of neck 

 and breast ; and their upperparts were blue-black trimmed 

 here and there with creamy white and gray. The only other 

 species of Lainiidcc seen in Africa was the Pallid Shrike (Lan- 

 ius lahtora), which bears considerable resemblance to our 

 Shrikes. 



Although the Egyptian Turtledove (Tiirtur seiiagaleiisis) 

 is an abundant species and said to occur wherever there are 

 palm-trees it was not seen every day. And in abundance 

 the semi-domesticated Rock Doves and the Pigeons failed to 

 meet expectations. 



Many shorebirds were seen along the Nile too far away 

 for identification, but a few opportunities for seeing some of 

 them close at hand were afforded, and at such times there 

 were seen some of the Ringed Plovers, the Green Sandpiper 

 (Totanus ochropus), the Black-headed Plover (Pluviantis 

 cegyptins), and the Spur-winged Plover (Hoploptenis spi- 

 iiosus). Great interest attaches to the last two species named, 

 because of their alliance with the crocodile. The story of 

 these social relations is one of the oldest bird stories in the 

 world. Told first by Herodotus about twenty-three hundred 

 years ago, it has been reafiirmed by many witnesses and de- 

 nied by ver)^ many more skeptics. Those claiming that it is 

 a true story have wrangled over various points, including 

 these : whether the birds actually enter the crocodile's mouth 

 or merely skirmish on the outside ; wdiether the prizes sought 

 by the birds were the fragments of flesh adhering to the rep- 

 tile's teeth, or leeches inside the mouth, as stated bv Hero- 



