A few Notes on Birds on the Atbara in Soudan. 283


Eagles, and several times Melierax polyzonus (Rupp). There are

other birds of prey about, but I dare not venture to name them.

A few Herons show up in the evening.


The common Bustard seems numerous, and is extremely

wary: I have not bagged one yet, as one cannot easily get

within gunshot. Pigeons and Doves are numerous, but I can

only name with certainty Turtur ambiguus, and the pretty

little Long-tailed Dove, CEna capensis. The Pied Kingfisher is

common and is, I fancy, nesting here. Of birds close round my

Take (grasshut) is the Bulbul ( P . asinoe ) a great friend and the

Black Bush Robin ; a party of White-headed Babbling Thrushes ;

Blue Finches, and Fire Finches, a Pied Wagtail, and numerous

unnameable Warblers. The common black and yellow Weaver,

Pied Flycatchers, and a Solitary Pearl-spotted Barbet.


A little further up stream in the thicker scrub are

Green Parrakeets (Palceornis docilis), now nesting in holes in

tops of dom palms. The beautiful Black and Scarlet Bush

Shrike (.Laniarius erythrogasta ) seems common. This I consider

one of the most striking birds here—the back appears in the sun

to be a gorgeous metallic green and the whole breast a most

lovely brilliant crimson-red.


Nectarinia metallica, a most beautiful little Sun-bird, with

a back of shiny green and a yellow breast, a very dainty little

bird, is a great favourite of mine, as is also N. pulchella , though

I have not seen any of the latter here yet. Mr. Butler kept a

specimen of the last named alive in good health in Khartum for

ten days, when it unfortunately escaped.


The common Sparrow abounds, and P. luteus , the Yellow

Sparrow is also fairly common. I took eggs of the latter recently,

the nest was very roughly built of twigs, partially downed and

lined with cotton. Eggs, three in number, more round than

oblong, dirty white streaked and blotched with dark chocolate all

over.


There are many birds not mentioned in this short note,

owing to my being unable to identify them, but should it prove

of sufficient interest, I will be pleased to get specimens named

by Mr. Butler, the Du of Game Preservation—and to send a few

lines more for the Magazine. Waiter Gilbey Percivae.



