Bird Xofr.'^ from Trieste to Bombay. 17') 



For tho rest of tlio day as wr wiMit aloiii,^ the Onlf of Suez, 

 Lams rldibu/ithis coiit iiiiii> 1 abiiiulaiit, and Lams affmis MTls 

 fairly common. Only a stray L. cachiyinans or two were 

 noted. Port Tewfik was still in sitrht when I noted the first 

 Sooty Gull, Lams IrD/jirlcJii, l>ut T did not see another until 

 we reached Aden, rn'il daidv a pair of Richardson's Skuas 

 followed in our Avakc \\ itli tli(^ (iulls. Tlu^v may bo described 

 roughly as dark b'ackisli Itrowii \vifli a Avhito collar and 

 underparts; some nnIiIIc also a( tlic base of tho wing quills; 

 'the white of tho breast broken l)y a partial dark gorget. 

 The tail full and wodge -shaped with tho two central feathers 

 fronted "and elongate. Thoy were not on good terms with 

 tho Gulls, chasing thorn and being chased. 



March 22nd. (In the Red Sea). No land sighted all 

 day. No Gulls scon excep't a few Lams affinis. A small bird 

 that looked like a Pipit came on to the ship, but I only caught 

 a glimpse of it as it was leaving: another small bird of a 

 yellowish colour, probably a Bunting, also seen flying near the 

 ship. A swallow turned up and remainecf for some time with 

 tho ship, hawking i-ound and about. About sunset a small 

 Kestrel arrived and settled on the mast where after doing its 

 plumage it prepared to roost. Finally just as it was getting 

 dusk I caught a glimpse of a small Swallow or Martin flying 

 low over the wave^. After dinner an attempt to catch the 

 Kestrel was made Init unsuooo^sfully, tho bird taking alarm 

 and flying round about the ship for a long time in the moon- 

 light, looking like an enormous bat. 



March 23rd. (Red Sea). No land in sight all day. 

 I awoke to hear that the Kestrel had been caught and put 

 into a Canary Cage, where 1 took a detailed description of it. 

 Roughly speaking, the bird was a small pale washed-out 

 looking ediftion of the Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculns 

 in immature plumage with tlio upper tail coverts of a delicate 

 French grey dully liarro;!. At present I cannot gain access 

 to books and skins to d Mo: mine the species accurately from 

 my description, but I tliink it was the Lesser Kestrel, Falco 

 cenchris—a.n idenjtification sui)ported by the colour of its claws, 

 which were flesh colour not black. 



This proved to be another migration day and the fol- 

 lowing birds visited the ship, A pair of Thick-knee Plovers— 



