44 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
16. Drymeca gracilis delte (Rchw.).—Very common in the 
cultivation round Cairo, Inchas, and Alexandria, and also in 
the Giza Gardens. Two nests found were about three feet off 
the ground, one in a small “‘ bushy” palm on May 9th, the 
other in some reeds cut four feet from the ground on May 15th ; 
they contained four eggs and three eggs respectively, just hatch- 
ing. The eggs were of a pinkish ground colour, with small 
spots of light brownish red ; in one clutch the spots were aggre- 
gated together into a zone round the greatest circumference. 
The young are devoid of down. The nests, which were made 
of dry bents and lined with white ‘‘ cotton-seed,’’ are domed, — 
and have the entrance in the same position as the Long-tailed 
Tit’s has. 
17. Cisticola cisticola (Temm.).— Common in the cultivation 
both at Inchas and near the Great Pyramids, where I found a 
pair building on May 9th on a grassy bank. The female had an 
incubation patch, so that either one brood had already been 
reared, or the first nest had been destroyed in the harvesting. 
18. Hypolais pallida (Hempr. & EKhr.).—Common in the Giza 
Gardens, and also noted in the palm-groves near the Great 
Pyramids, and in the tamarisks round Lake Mariotis. The 
song is remarkably like that of Acrocephalus streperus, but it 
struck me as being more warbling and not so harsh in tone. A 
very neat cup-shaped nest made of dry grasses and lined with 
white ‘‘ cotton-seed’”’ was ready for eggs on May 9th. = | 
19. Acrocephalus phragmitis (Bechst.).— Single birds were 
seen at Inchas on May 2nd, and several on Lake Mariotis on 
May 15th; the sexual organs were not enlarged, the birds were 
auite silent, and had a considerable amount of fat. 
20. A. stentoreus (Hempr. & Ehr.).—Common at Inchas and 
round Lake Mariotis. They seem to choose the tall ‘‘ feather- 
head”’ reed-beds, where the water is deepest, for nesting. A nest 
found on May 13th was placed within three inches of the water’s 
surface, and contained four young, which were devoid of down. 
The song appeared to me to be like that of A. turdoides. The 
tarsi are lead-coloured. 
21. Motacilla flava pygmea (Brehm).—Very common in the 
cultivation round Cairo, and near the Great Pyramids, where 
they were breeding. Some had young on the wing by May 9th. 
