- 369 
1921 .] Birds of Lower Egypt. 
150. Plegadis falcinellus falcinellus. Glossy Ibis. 
A few turn up at the Birket Accrashi every spring, 
arriving during the first week in April, and remaining some 
days. Specimens obtained. Never seen in the autumn. 
151. Ardea cinerea cinerea. Grey Heron. 
Numerous on the Birket Accrashi during the winter. 
Arrives there in September from the north-east, and 
occasionally remains until the end of April. A wild pair 
bred in the Zoological Gardens at Giza in 1918, but I have 
no note of when they laid. I never met with it breeding 
elsewhere in Egypt, and birds observed in the Fayum in 
late March were not breeding there. 
[Mr. Nicoll informed me that a pair nested in the Giza 
Gardens in 1909, 1910, and 1911, and reared young in 1909 
and 1910. In 1910 the young had flown by 15 March.— 
R.S.] 
152. Ardea purpurea purpurea. Purple Heron. 
Purple Herons were noted on the Birket Accrashi during 
every month of the year except July and August, at which 
season all the swamp is dried up. I never obtained direct 
evidence of their breeding in Egypt, but should not be sur¬ 
prised if this were the case. 
153. Egretta alba alba. Great White Heron. 
On 12 November, 1915, I saw a single bird on the Birket 
Accrashi. This was the only example to come under my 
observation. 
154. Bubulcus ibis ibis. Buff-backed Heron. 
Thanks to a splendid scheme of protection and a careful 
supervision by the Zoological Service, this species is again 
becoming numerous and resident in Lower Egypt. During 
the latter part of my stay at Abu Zabaal, Buff-backs were 
often seen there, and during the winter considerable numbers 
were observed on the marshy rice-fields at Mal’g. Several 
large breeding colonies have been established in the Delta, 
