Identifier: egyptianbirdsfor00whym (find matches)
Title: Egyptian birds for the most part seen in the Nile Valley
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Whymper, Charles, b. 1853
Subjects: Birds -- Egypt
Publisher: London, A. and C. Black
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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rk on the forehead, bordered at its lower and uppermargin with white; and a rich black collar going nearly allround body; legs reddish. Total length, 65 inches. This bird no one can fail to see, as, though it isin other countries a shy bird, it is here amazinglytame and familiar. By the river, by canal-side,round every small pool or watercourse, there youwill see this cheerful little compact-shaped bird.All last winter, 1907-8, I had seen great numbersin the Thebes district, but in this winter of 1909 Ihave on Lake Menzaleh seen literally thousands ofRing-Plover. I cannot be sure they were all theLittle Ring-Plover ; that they were Ring-Plovers,I am certain, but as there are three species ofRing-Plover — the Great, the Middle, and theLittle (and Captain Shelley strangely gives thedimensions of the Middle form as smaller thanthe Little)—it is safest not to be too dogmatic,and only call them Ring-Plovers. It is a veryactive bird, incessantly on the search for food, 120 RINGED-PLOVER
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LIITLE RINGED-PLOVER 121 and the pace that those little legs can go, whenthey do their best, is amazing. It has a charmingway of ever and anon stopping suddenly still andlooking steadily at you, with head held veryslightly aside, seeming to try to read rightthrough you, and discover if you are friend orfoe. When it flies its wings are seen to be verysharp and pointed, and bearing some resemblanceto a snipes—a bird it is often made to do duty forby those romancers, the native gunners, who temptthe uninitiated to accompany them for snipe-shooting, and assure the new-comer these poorlittle Plover are Snipe— Egyptian Snipe. 16 THE SNIPE Qallinago coelestis Top of head, back, and upper feathers of wings dark brown,in parts nearly black with a bluish gloss, two buff streaks oneach side of shoulders; face and chest spotted with duskybrown, whilst the flanks are barred with the same colour; tailbright chestnut, barred with black and tipped with white;legs greenish; bill brown, at base fle

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