SIX MONTHS’ BIRD COLLECTING IN EGYPT. 231 
beauty. Sometimes one might be seen floating beside the 
diabeyha ; and I remember there were more than a score of 
them swimming within gunshot of the place where we 
anchored at Cairo. Though so pure to look at, they are 
foul feeders. I shot one beside the stranded carcase of an 
enormous Nile fish: it contained scales larger than a 
shilling. On comparing five adult Egyptian skins with 
three English ones, it is seen that the back is darker by 
many shades; legs yellow, beak ditto, inferior angle red, 
eyelid red, eye yellow; length 21 inches. 
Oss. SKUA GULL. 
June 17th, Alexandria, observed a bird which has 
not been noticed in Egypt before, viz., a Skua, 
but of what species I cannot say. It appeared 
too big for Richardson's Skua, It was teasing 
the Gulls in the harbour. 
t 
205. CASPIAN TERN, Sterna caspia, Pall; 
“Abou Belaha,” i.e, Father of Dates: so called because of 
its red beak, 
A fine one obtained, January 23rd, at Damietta, where 
they are not uncommon, and may occasionally be decoyed 
within gunshot by whistling in imitation of their note. Al- 
ways intently searching the surface of the water, they fly at 
a somewhat greater altitude than the other Terns, from 
which they may be distinguished afar off by their magnifi- 
cent red bills, We saw several in Upper Egypt, and shot 
three splendid specimens near Gebel-Silsilis the first week 
in April, besides one at the Faioum on the 2nd of June. 
The last seen on the Nile was on the 12th of May. They 
weigh about 1} lb. Feet black, mottled with yellow. The 
specimen shot at the Faioum was much more backward 
