1917-] Birds observed at Erzerum. 15 



Turdus merula. Blackbird. 



Observed : 1910, April 4, one; 1911, October 31, several 

 in the Kyrk Deirraeu gorge. 



Monticola saxatilis. Rock-Thrush. 



A certain rocky gorge near the town harboured three 

 pairs of Rock-Thrushes each summer, and another pair 

 nested regular!}^ at Boghaz, They Avere first seen on -May 3 

 and were among the most attractive of the summer visitors, 

 the brilliantly clad cock-bird filling the sombre solitude 

 with melody as he tumbled in the air before his mate or 

 piped thoughtfully on a rock not far from the nest. The 

 young birds were abroad foi'aging for themselves early in 

 August, and I did not see any after the 15th of September. 



Phoenicurus phoenicurus. Redstart. 



Very abundant as a migrant, and remains to breed in 

 small numbers. The usual date of arrival in spring is the 

 11th or 12th of April, and for a month afterwards hardly a 

 day passes without a few being seen in a row of poplars 

 near the Tortum Gate. 



The fact of being under canvas in the autumn gave me 

 a much better opportunit}?^ of witnessing the passage south- 

 westwards, and the limited numbers observed in spring had 

 by no means prepared me for the intensity of the return 

 movement, which began about the 1st of September and 

 continued without intermission till the 18th of October. 

 At first I observed onlv parties of from six to twenty, mostly 

 females and immature birds, but about the 8th the flights 

 grew larger and included some adult males, and from the 

 21st of September to the 18th of October, 1910, I was able 

 to note almost daily that they were " swarming " in the trees 

 in my camp, in all the low vegetation in the neighbourhood, 

 and in the outskirts of the town. They were usually more 

 numerous in the morning and had generally disappeared early 

 in the afternoon — but by no means invariably. Stragglers 

 were noticed till as late as November 5. 



The Redstarts near the camp were very confiding and 

 with their fledglings were regular visitors to the tents. 



