12 Major J. "W, Yerbury on the Birds of 



south of wliich cultivation commences and continues as far as 

 Haitli-al-hira^ about eight miles above Lahej. Just above 

 Haith-al-hira the river bifurcates^ and it is between the 

 branches of this fork that all the cultivation lies. This oasis 

 is very fertile and produces jowari^ Indian corn^ telli, and 

 other crops. Besides these fields there are several gardens, 

 in which vegetables are grown, with groves of date-palms, 

 almond, and other trees : grapes also are grown. 



At Haith-al-him there appear to be the remains of an old 

 garden, some fine old tamarind-trees standing there, as well 

 as some mango, fig, and almond trees. The bund that causes 

 the river to bifurcate is some four miles above Haith-al-him, 

 and the river above this poiut runs in a single bed past 

 Zaidah, situated about fourteen miles from Lahej ■^. There 

 is a little cultivation on the left bank of the river opposite 

 Zaidah. About eight miles beyond Zaidah the outlying spurs 

 of the hills are met with. The country from the Barrier Gate 

 to Zaidah is almost level, being only broken here and there 

 by low sandhills, and the rise is probably only a few feet. 



As may be supposed, the birds of Aden proper are few, the 

 residents being confined to the following : — a Bulbul, a Dove, 

 a Bobin, a Weaver-bird, a Bock-Martin, a Kite, a Baven, 

 the Osprey, and the Egyptian Vulture, and probably two 

 or three more kinds of Hawk. All the above, I believe, 

 remain and, with the exception of the Baven, breed with us, 

 as I have seen them in every month of the year, and have 

 found the nests of two or three of them. Some others, 

 notably the shore-birds and Gulls, are regular visitants ; most 

 of the former being cold- weather visitors, while the latter 

 seem to be with us all the year round. During the cold 

 weather some two or three kinds of Chats visit us also. I 



* A map of Aden and the neiglibourbood, on a scale of about 6 inches 

 to a mile, is attached to this paper (Plate II.). The green shows roughly 

 the cultivation near Lahej. The rivers, though shown in the map, are 

 practically dry beds. The Iluswah branch is said to come down to the 

 sea yearly, but the Imad branch has probably not come doAvn for many 

 years. For further details of the geography and statistics of Aden, see 

 Hunter'.* ' Statistical Account of the British Settlement of Aden ' 

 (Triibner & Co., 1877). 



