183 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke — Ornithology 



Tawny Pipit {Anthus campestris) was present in small 

 numbers, but appeared to be confined to the extreme south. 

 In the vicinity of the lagoons the Blue- and Grey-headed 

 Wagtails (^Motacilla flava and M. cinereicajnlla) were not un- 

 common. The commonest '^bird of the wilderness ^^ was the 

 Sky-Lark; and we certainly never appreciated this "blithe- 

 some and curaberless " species so much as we did during 

 our long, hot, wearisome tramps across these monotonous 

 plains, where it was the only bird of whose presence we Avere 

 cognizant for hours together. Much less abundant was 

 the Short-toed Lark ; while the Thicknee and the Kentish 

 Plover, both thinly distributed, complete the waste-land 

 list. Here and there on the fringe of the wastes, and the 

 lagoons, are to be found patches of tamarisk -trees or scrub ; 

 the haunt of many Magpies and Hoopoes, and a few Lesser 

 Grey Shrikes, Turtle-Doves, and Whitethroats. 



The wastes, especially those of the central districts, afford 

 pasturage for sheep, and for "taureaux k demi sauvages.'^ 

 Of these latter the visitor to the Camargue will hear much 

 at Aries, and receive some words of caution concerning 

 them. It is undoubtedly extremely dangerous to encounter 

 solitary examples, or individuals separated from the herd, for 

 these invariably '' go for " intruders. It was with some mis- 

 givings, and only when necessary for the carrying-out of our 

 plans, that Ave ventured among them ; the more so because 

 we had witnessed their fighting qualities, when pitted against 

 Spanish toreadors, in the old Roman arena at Aries. 



The Lagoon and Waste regions are much aflected by the 

 mirage. Indeed, this phenomenon was never absent in the 

 daytime, and until we had mastered the geography of the 

 country it proved to be a considerable hindrance to our 

 movements ; for it not only made it impossible to distinguish 

 land from water, but it hid behind its shimmering veil the 

 very few landmarks the region did possess. Perhaps we 

 may here allude to a small, but, nevertheless, a serious incon- 

 venience to which visitors to the Camargue are subject, 

 namely, the mosquito. This little dipteron is the veritable 

 curse of the region. It exists in myriads everywhere in the 



