Boros István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 51. (Budapest 1959)
Horváth, L.: The results of the zoological collecting trip to Egypt in 1957, of the Natural History Museum, Budapest 7. The ornithological results
Pink-backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens Gm.) I noted 5 specimens on the wing over an extensive inundation of the Nile, some little distance N of Luxor on 22 October. Its occurrence in Middle Egypt is of extraordinary interest, since the northern range of its distribution coincides with lat. 20°, about 700 km farther to the S of the observation and collecting locality. I shot one adult male. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea cinerea L.) I met with it only on 24 October ; I sighted 2 specimens in the Kagug marshes near Silsilia in Upper Egypt, and 1 other near Idfu, somewhat farther S. Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea purpurea L.) I saw but a single specimen during the whole trip. One bird was standing on the shallow shore of the Red Sea at Marsa el 'Alam on 1 November. The occurrence of the purple heron in NE Africa, and especially on the Egyptian shores of the Red Sea is very striking, since this area is rather far from the range and the SW migration route of the species. Great White Heron (Egretta alba alba L.) The 4 specimens observed on the Lake Karun on 10 October are of a faunistical interest. With regard to the fact that this species begins its migration from Europe only in September, the specimens noted were, in all probability, earlier migrating Near East animals. But the record is interesting also from the point of view that they were sighted far from the coast of the Mediterranean, about 300 km away from it. The three specimens observed near Alexandria (Mariut lagune) on 23 November coincide both locally and temporally with the regular European migration. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta garzetta L.) I observed 130 specimens (singly, by twos and by threes), scattered over the Lake Karun on 10 and 13 October. I saw a total of 51 specimens sporadically in the valley of the Nile between Nag Hammadi and Esna in Middle Egypt between 21—24 October ; and there were 33 specimens between Idfu and Aswan in Upper Egypt from 25 till 28 October. Of these latter, there was a flock of 25 specimens on the rapids near the Lord Kitchener island at Aswan. The above sight records illustrate nicely the route and rate of the autumnal migration of this species through Egypt. During our return journey along the Red Sea coast, I never saw it. The two specimens sighted at Helwan on 17 November must have added the finishing touches to the migration through Egypt, since I never met with it again, neither at this time nor subsequently (till 30 November) along the Nile or during my several trips to the Mariut lagune at Alexandria.
