THE ALGERIAN SAHARA. 3 1 



wearing a variety of ornaments, and peeping into a Moorish 

 bath, the inner room of which was intensely hot, and ex- 

 amining the stock in trade of a negro who dealt in jewelry, 

 scent, spurs, purses, and swords, and after collecting speci- 

 mens of the Black Whcatear (Saxicola Icuatra), Little Owl 

 (Athene glanx), Rock Dove (Columbalivia, Lin., C. tiirricola 

 Bp.). and Ultramarine Tit (Pants tenerijfcc, Less.), I made 

 the discovery that I had seen all that was worth seeing at 

 Boghari, and on the 8th I ensconced myself and my impedi- 

 menta in the weekly " Diligence." Six horses drag it. In 

 the " Tell " eight are not considered too many ; indeed I 

 sometimes saw ten to a large vehicle, but then admirable as 

 the French government roads are, the hilly nature of the 

 country must be remembered. Mules and horses are yoked 

 indifferently to the same vehicle. 



The first caravanserai is Bougzoul. It is in the " Hauts 

 Plateaux." A caravanserai in Algeria is a one-storied forti- 

 fied house, enclosing a large court-yard, with chambers on 

 two sides for the accommodation of travellers, and stabling 

 for several horses. The "Hauts Plateaux" is a term for 

 the northern portion of the Little Desert (or Algerian 

 Sahara), which commences where the " Tell " ends, and ter- 

 minates at Waregla. The water at Bougzoul is nearly 

 unfit for drinking ; it comes from the neighbouring marsh 

 where the phenomenon of mirage may be seen. Canon 

 Tristram found a profusion of aquatic birds at this marsh — 

 Flamingos, Ruddy Shelducks, White-headed Ducks (Eris- 

 matura mcrsa), Gull-billed Terns, White-winged Black 

 Terns, Stilts, Purple Gallinules, Great-sedge Warblers, etc. 

 When I was there it was nearly dry. The Sandgrouse, and 

 the Desert Wheatear (Saxicola deserti, Rupp.) had sup- 

 planted the waders. I obtained however one Flamingo, 

 and was assured by many persons that they are occasionally 

 found dead under the newly-constructed military telegraph, 

 as well as " Ganga " (Sandgrouse) and other birds. The 



