490 On Birds from the Bead Sea and Arabia. 



49. Struthio camelus. 



Struthio camelus Tristr. Pal. p. 139; Salvadori, Cat. B. 

 xxvii. p. 572. 



This Ostrich was observed in one locality in N.W. Arabia, 

 namely in the Wadi Hidrij, a hundred and twenty miles 

 south-east of the Dead Sea. I chanced to ride up to some at 

 fairly close quarters in the rolling black-stone desert, called 

 Ard-es-Suwan by the Beduin. Further to the south-east 1 

 occasionally saw traces of them, and on the western sand- 

 dunes of the Nafud I found broken eggs. I also saw their 

 tracks close to the Mecca Railway near the Oasis of Tebuk. 

 I should say that this railway marks the extreme western 

 range of the Ostrich in Arabia. Northwards they do not 

 extend beyond the 31st parallel, and they do not pass into 

 the Syrian Hamad. 



Appendix. 



Specimens of the four species in the subjoined List were 

 not obtained on this journey, but their names are of interest 

 as being new to the List of Syrian Birds. There are examples 

 of them in the Museum at the American College in Beirut. 



The main authority on the Ornithology of Syria and 

 Palestine is, of course, Canon Tristram's ' Fauna and Flora 

 of Palestine/ This was supplemented by Dr. Merrill's notes 

 published in 'The Ibis' in 1903 (p. 324). In April 1906, 

 an account of my own collection in Syria was published by 

 Dr. Sclater in this Journal (p. 307) ; and these few additions 

 bring the ornithology of the region up to date. 



1. Parus ceruleus. 



Parus cceruleus Gadow, Cat. B. viii. p. 12. 



(?. Damascus. 17 Sept., 1904. 



cT . „ 18 Sept., 1904. 



<? . „ 20 Sept., 1904. 



The Blue Tit is resident in the cultivated area round 

 Damascus ; but it seems to have been overlooked, for it has 

 never been recorded hitherto from Syria. 



