Mr. E. Cavendish Taylor on Birds of Egypt. 369 
seen them in Egypt. I went from Damietta to Alexandria 
on April 20th, whence, three days later, I left Egypt for Mar¬ 
seilles direct by French steamer. On our voyage many land- 
birds, evidently on their migration northwards, settled on the 
rigging of our ship to rest. Among them I remember espe¬ 
cially several Turtle Doves [Turtur vulgaris) and Yellow 
Wagtails [Motacilla flava), and one Kestrel {Falco tinnun^ 
cuius ). This last was caught asleep on its perch in the rig¬ 
ging by one of the crew shortly after sunset. In the following 
notes I do not give a list of the birds seen or shot by me. I 
only mention those about which I have something to say in 
addition to, or differing from, what has already been said by 
myself or other writers on Egyptian ornithology. 
Aquila clanga (Pallas). Greater Spotted Eagle. 
A very large female of this species, was shot by an Arab on 
18th April near Damietta, while I was staying there. It was 
skinned by Mr. Fillipponi, purchased from him by me, and 
is now in my collection. It is decidedly the largest individual 
of the species I have ever seen, as it measures 31 inches in 
length. The date on which it was shot (April 18th) is un¬ 
usually late, and would lead one to suspect that this species 
does sometimes stay to breed in that country. 
Buteo des^rtoeum (Daudin). Desert-Buzzard. 
A friend of mine shot an unusually large individual of this 
species, while Quail-shooting near the Pyramids of Gizeh, 
a few days before my arrival at Cairo. It is now in my 
possession, and is the first and only specimen of the species 
from Egypt that I have ever seen, 
Buteo vulgaris (Leach). Common Buzzard. 
On the 18th of April I shot, near Damietta, the very 
smallest Buzzard I ever saw. It is not more that two thirds 
of the usual size, and is very dark in colour. On dissection 
I was unable to find any trace of sexual organs. Crop 
crammed with lizards and small snakes. 
Falco lanarius, Linn. Lanner Falcon. 
This is a great frequenter of pyramids; and I seldom visit 
SEn. IV,—'VOL. II, 2 c 
