4 76 
Mr. M. J. Nicoll— Contributions 
August. At the Delta barrage these birds arrive somewhat 
earlier, as I am informed by Mr. W. Draper, the Superin¬ 
tendent of the Gardens there, than they do at Giza. It is 
remarkable that this species should occur in Egypt, and 
where they come from and where they go after nesting is at 
present unknown. 
Shelley, in his f Birds of Egypt/ p. 152, mentions an 
Estrelda melanorhyncha as occurring near Alexandria, and 
as he did not meet with it he copies a description given by 
Yon Heuglin. If this should prove to be the same as my 
birds, Yon Heuglin’s description must be that of a young 
bird, a female, or a “ male out of plumage.” 
I am unable at present to find any differences between 
Giza birds and Indian examples. 
92. Passer domesticus indicus. 
Passer domesticus Shelley, p. 148. 
Passer domestica subsp. ? Hartert, Yog. d. pal. Fauna, 
ii. p. 151. 
Passer domesticus indicus Nicoll, Ibis, July 1908. p. 497. 
For the present I place the Sparrow of the Delta under 
the above name, as it is almost indistinguisable from the 
Indian bird. The ear-coverts of P. d. indicus are certainly 
whiter than those of the Delta Sparrow, and I fancy that 
the red of the upper parts is deeper in the Indian examples. 
This Sparrow is abundant in the cultivated parts of the 
Province and ranges over the whole Delta. How far south 
it extends I do not at present know. 
93. Fringilla ccelebs. 
Fringilla ccelebs Shelley, p. 15. 
The Chaffinch is a regular winter visitor in small numbers ; 
in some years it appears to be more abundant than in others. 
94. Passer hispaniolensis. 
Passer salicicola Shelley, p. 149. 
During April 1909 numbers of Spanish Sparrows were 
seen in the Zoological Gardens. Although it abounds in 
the Delta during the winter, I have no other records of the 
species from the Province of Giza. 
