Sonnini de Manoncourt, Charles Nicolas Sigisbert: Travels in upper and lower Egypt (Band 2) (London, 1807)

and lower egypt. 5g

The principal distinctions of this bird consist in
a very hooked beak, and a thick membrane cover-
ing its base, in which the nostrils are situate: wings
a little longer than the tail, and having the first
feather serrated along the exterior vane: legs
short, and covered with feathers on the fore part,
almost down to the toes: talons sharp and crooked:
a tail with feathers of near!) equal length, the
outer ones being the longest, and the others dimi-
nishing gradually to the middle ones, which are a
little shorter than the rest, but so little as to be
imperceptible, except when the tail is spread out.

ItK dimensions are: total length, eleven inches
and half: length of the beak, twelve lines and
half: of the leg, seventeen lines: of the tail, four
inches, eight lines: of the wings, ten inches and
half; these, when closed, extending beyond the
tail eight lines.

The forehead, all the under part of the body and
tail, and tljc inner covert feathers of the wings,
are of the most beautiful white : the upper part
and anterior angle of the eye are covered with
small, slender, black feathers: the upper part of
the body and head, and greater wing coverts, arc
ash-coloured, slightly tipped with gray, with black
shads; the jagged vane of the first, white: the
two middle feathers of the tail are white; mingled

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