556 Mr. C. Dixou on the 



Desert-Larks. Here we found the heat and oppressiveness 

 great. Scarcely any vegetation was to be seen, nothing but a 

 dreary sandy waste, broken up here and there by rocky 

 mounds. Not a sound was to be heard, save the hoarse croak 

 of Irby's Raven amongst the rocks and the sharp call-notes 

 of a pair of Pied Chats that evidently had a nest somewhere 

 amongst the stones. 



From Biskra we returned to El Kantara, and spent a couple 

 of days there collecting. Here we found the pretty little 

 Sahara Bunting extremely common, and in and about the 

 rocks the Black and Eared Chats were seen frequently. 

 Ravens are common here, also the Rock-Martin and Rock- 

 Doves. In the oasis itself Turtle Doves were very common, 

 also Rufous Warblers, Serin Finehs, Common Bee-eaters and 

 Rollers. Leaving El Kantara, we returned to Batna, whence 

 we made a two days' trip to the cedar forests. 



Our route lay across the plain south-west of Batna ; then 

 we began to ascend the mountains, passing up the '' Blue 

 Ravine '' through liills clothed with evergreen-oak woods, and 

 here and there a few tamarisk bushes. The ground was a 

 carpet of flowers — strange and beautiful blooms that filled 

 the air with delicate perfume. As we ascended, the road 

 became more difficult and dangerous, and cedar trees now 

 appeared. I shot a pair of the Algerian Coal Titmouse in 

 the evergreen-oak woods, also a Kestrel. We spent the night 

 in a small log hut, at the invitation of the foresters here, and 

 the following morning set off on mules, making along detour 

 through the mountains to Batna again. 



We left in early morning ; and our path was a rough and 

 precipitous one. The scenery was charming when we gained 

 the summit of one of the highest peaks, some 6000 feet above 

 the sea. Stretching far down below Avas a verdant plain, 

 partly cultivated and partly grass and shrubs, and clothed 

 with flowers. The mountains here were clothed to their very 

 summits with cedar forests ; but most of the finest trees were 

 dead. Now our route lay down beautiful ravines, with hoary 

 cedar trees and flourishing evergreen oaks just bursting into 

 bloom. On the bare and rocky hill-sides here we repeatedly 



