Reminiscences of Egypt. 51 
and familiar. It does not frequent water, or marshy ground, 
like most of its congeners, but especially affects the society of 
cattle; I have often seen it standing on the backs of buffaloes 
and cows. From this propensity to fraternise with cattle it is 
called f Cow Bird ; by the English. I never saw an example of 
this bird with the elongated buffy plumes on the back, which 
are considered to be characteristic of the species. All that I 
saw had the entire plumage pure white, except the crown of the 
head, which was buff. I conclude from this that the elongated 
dorsal plumes are peculiar to the breeding season, as I cannot 
believe that the very numerous specimens which came under my 
notice were all in immature plumage. Bill and irides yellow. 
Legs and feet blackish grey. This bird does duty on the Nile 
as the Ibis , being generally pointed out to travellers by dra¬ 
gomans, &c., as the real Ibis religiosa. For the Ibis, I should 
say, is now a rare bird in Egypt; at any rate, none of our party 
saw it, and I have been assured that the only part of the country 
where it is now regularly seen, is the neighbourhood of Lake 
Menzaleh, near the Damietta mouth of the Nile. 
56. Nycticorax europ^us. Night Heron. 
Bather local; living in flocks, and seems always to resort 
during the day to the same grove of palm-trees, to which, on 
being disturbed, they would return after a short flight. I have 
noticed this species as not unfrequent in the vicinity of Catania 
in Sicily. 
57. Ciconia alba. White Stork. 
Common, but rather wild. 
58. Ciconia nigra. Black Stork. 
Frequently seen, but less abundant than the former species. 
59. Platalea leucorodia. Spoonbill. 
Abundant; but very wild, and difficult to shoot. 
60. (Edicnemus crepitans. Common Thick-knee. 
Tolerably abundant. We found these birds particularly good 
to eat. 
61. Hoplopterus spinosus. Spur-winged Plover. 
Gould’s Birds of Europe, vol. iv. pi. 293. 
About the commonest bird in the country, and very noisy 
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