54 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
rarely there, and yet the conditions in that locality would appear 
to be much the same as those round Cairo. Cavendish Taylor 
(‘ Ibis,’ 1891, p. 473) records that no Kites were to be seen in 
Alexandria, and Mr. W.L.8. Loat did not meet with any in the 
Wadi-el-Natrin, and recorded it (p. c. 1906, p. 120) as un- 
common at Lake Menzaleh. 
63. Falco tinnunculus, Linn.—Single birds were seen over the 
cultivated land on several occasions near the Great Pyramids, 
and at Inchas; one obtained on May 9th near the former locality 
was a young male of the previous year in full moult. Judging 
by the state of the testes it certainly was not breeding. Its 
gizzard contained a Lizard (A. sentilata) and a Mole-Cricket. 
64. Ardea cinerea, Linn.—Several seen in the distance on 
Lake Mariotis on May 15th. 
65. A. bubuleus, Audouin.—A bird seen from the railway in 
some marshy ground a few miles south of Alexandria I believe 
belonged to this species. The Buff-backed Heron seems to bea 
rarer bird in the Delta than formerly, as Mr. J. H. Gurney tells 
me he met with it abundantly almost everywhere in the Delta 
in 1875. 
66. A. ralloides, Scopoli.—In a large tamarisk swamp in an 
island in Lake Mariotis I met with about fifty of these birds 
together on May 15th. These birds were very wild. During 
flight the neck is bent back as in the case of the other Herons, 
the beak is very prominent, and, compared with the rest of the 
plumage, the back looks very dark, almost black, in bright 
sunlight. After much stalking one was shot for me by an Arab. 
The ovary was much enlarged, and from the state of the oviduct 
it was evident that an egg had been recently laid; moreover, 
there was a well-defined incubation patch. The gizzard con- 
tained a small fish, locally known as ‘‘ Baultee” (as near as 
I can get it). On questioning the local Arabs, they informed me 
that these birds nested in a tamarisk swamp about three miles 
away on the other end of the island. 
67. Ardetta minuta (Linn.).—Many birds of this species were 
met with in the swampy reed-beds round Lake Mariotis and on the 
above-mentioned island during my visit, May 15th to 18th. Birds 
obtained had the same species of fish in its gizzard as found in 
the Squacco. Females had incubation patches, and from the 
