52 Mr. E. C. Taylor’s Ornithological 
and tame. Irides dark red. We used to eat both this and the 
next species of Plover, but both were rather dry and insipid. 
62. Pluvianus aegyptius, Linn. Black-headed Plover. 
I did not see this very pretty species below Cairo, but above 
I found it everywhere numerous. Irides dark brown. Legs 
and feet pale blue. Toes three in number. This bird enjoys 
the credit of being the Trochilos of Herodotus, which he men¬ 
tions as living on such terms of intimacy with the Crocodile. 
The account which that veracious historian gives of the entente 
cor diale between these apparently ill-assorted allies is as fol¬ 
lows :—“ As the Crocodile lives chiefly in the river, it has the 
inside of its mouth constantly covered with leeches; hence it 
happens that while all other birds and beasts avoid it, with the 
Trochilos it lives at peace, since it owes much to that bird: for 
the Crocodile, when he leaves the water and comes out upon 
the land, is in the habit of lying with his mouth wide open, 
facing the western breeze: at such times the Trochilos goes into 
his mouth and devours the leeches. This benefits the Croco¬ 
dile, who is pleased, and takes care not to hurt the Trochilos” 
Herodotus, Book ii., end of chap. 68. As a matter of fact, I 
seldom saw a crocodile on land without seeing a Pluvianus 
cegyptius near him. 
63. Charadrius minor. Little Ringed Plover. 
Occasionally seen, and shot. 
64. Vanellus cristatus. Lapwing. 
We once fell in with a small flock of these birds, and shot 
some of them. 
65. Vanellus leucurus (Licht.). White-tailed Plover. 
Vanellus Villotm, Savigny’s Descr. de PEg. pi. 6. fig. 2. 
This is, perhaps, the rarest species of bird we procured in 
Egypt. There is one footless specimen only in the British 
Museum, which is not named; and in the Paris Museum, at the 
Jardin des Plantes, I could not find it at all. Savigny says that 
it is found only in Egypt. The only part of the country where I 
saw it was on an extensive tract of wet, marshy ground about 
four or five miles S.W. of Thebes, on the left bank of the river. 
There, however, it was abundant, and we shot several. Length 
