of the Delta of the Rhone. 177 



found at sea-level in the Mediterranean countries. There 

 is no woodland, worthy the name, in the Camargue, but 

 there are some fine trees in narrow belts, and also scattered 

 trees in some localities in and about the cultivated area. 

 Here, and here only, the Mistle-Thrush, Greenfinch, Tree- 

 Sparrow, Great Titmouse, and Green Woodpecker were 

 observed in the Delta. 



The great marshes of the Camargue lie chiefly in the 

 north, centre, and west, and probably cover an area of not 

 less than 50 square miles. They are remarkable not only 

 for their great extent but for the dense growth of reeds, 

 which, owing to the uniform shallowness of their waters, 

 clothes the entire surface of most of them. There is an 

 absence of those open-water spaces which are so attractive to 

 Terns, Gulls, Ducks, and other aquatic species. Thus reed- 

 loving forms alone flourish, but these were found to be 

 neither numerous in species nor in individuals — a circum- 

 stance which is not surprising when one reflects upon the 

 vastness of these retreats. No doubt many species escaped 

 detection in these great reed-beds, for no group of birds are 

 more skulking in their nature and more diflicult of observa- 

 tion than they; neither is any class of haunt more diflicult 

 to traverse or to observe in, nor does any ofi'er such facilities 

 for hiding or escape to the hunted. We traversed miles of 

 these reed-forests and observed the Reed- Warbler and 

 Great Reed- Warbler in numbers, fewer Cisticola cursitans, 

 and caught momentary glimpses of several other species — 

 birds that were new to us — which unfortunately aff'orded no 

 opportunity for identifying them. In the south-west there 

 are extensive reed-beds and much marshy ground fringing 

 shallow etangs of brackish water, and these are the home of 

 the Reed-Warbler, the Bearded Reedling, the Reed-Bunting, 

 the Purple Heron, the Marsh- Harrier, and the Coot. Here, 

 again, were also many small reed-birds whose skulking 

 habits baffled our attempts at their determination. 



There appears to be an entire absence in the Camargue of 

 those wooded swamps which form the favourite breeding- 

 sites for colonies of the Ibis and the majority of the Ardeid?e, 



