Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, §c. 475 
detected an egg, which the bird had just dropped in the grass. 
This egg is similar in its markings to that of our Blackbird 
(Turdus merula), and in size equal to a Jay's. I generally found 
the Great Spotted Cuckoo very shy. In flight it much resembles 
the Sparrow-hawk, so much so that I was often deceived into 
shooting the one for the other. Though by no means common 
on the Nile, this Cuckoo seems curiously to affect certain places, 
and I once saw six in one “ sunt ” grove. 
Yours, &c., 
W. J. Chambers. 
Chichester, July 7, 1863. 
Mr. W. J. Chambers also furnishes us with the following 
note on the birds he noticed during his subsequent journey 
through Palestine:— 
On entering Palestine on the south at El Arish, the bird- 
population appears to consist chiefly of the Chat tribe. Wheat- 
ears are very numerous, and I obtained specimens of Saxicola 
stapazina, S . saltatrix, and observed S. leucomela and others 
that I did not identify. Shrikes are abundant, and I obtained 
Lanius excubitor and L. rufus. Redstarts are common, and I 
observed Riippell’s Warbler (Sylvia ruppellii), a specimen of 
which, by-the-by, I shot in some low bushes in the middle of 
the desert between El Arish and Cairo. Of the Hawk tribe 
there are a great number, but having very little time for preserv¬ 
ing, I did not shoot any. One of my friends obtained a fine 
specimen of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus ). We saw 
a few Quails (Coturnix dactylisonans), and towards Jerusalem a 
fair number of Perdix grceca, Briss., which, however, owing to 
the difficult nature of the ground and their running habits, are 
very troublesome to shoot. About Jerusalem birds are scarce. 
I obtained Cretschmaer's Bunting (Emberiza ccesia ), and the 
Blue Thrush (Petrocincla cyanea ) : I saw a few Blackbirds, 
which appeared to be precisely similar to our Turdus merula; a 
few Jays, but was unable to obtain any; I think they were 
Garrulus melanocephalus . At Jericho and in the Jordan-valley 
birds seem plentiful, and I regretted much that we were only 
allowed one night at that most interesting spot. The only bird 
2 k 2 
