20 Mr. P. J. C. McGregor on [Ibis, 



Riparia riparia. Sand-Martin. 



The ouly spots in which I found colonies of Sand-Martins 

 were the Boghaz, near my camp, and the banks of the 

 Neby Chai, in the Passen Plain, in the latter of which 

 places Bee-eaters also nested. 



lynx torquilla. Wryneck. 



On April 8, 1910, I put up a Wryneck in the Turkish 

 cemetery, this being the only specimen observed in the 

 spring. Two or three were, however, seen in August and 

 September of each year, and I am inclined to suspect that 

 they spend some days in the neighbourhood before continuing 

 their journey. 



Cuculus canorus. Cuckoo. 



The Cuckoo arrives as early as May 15, and until early 

 in July may be heard and seen in small numbers, not only 

 in the few groups of trees in the district, but also in various 

 stony gullies where the abundance of Wheatears^ and Rock- 

 Sparrows^ nests is doubtless an attraction. 



The Cuckoo became silent before the end of July, and 

 was seldom seen after the 18th of August, but in 1910 

 I saw one in my garden in town on September 1st. 



Micropus apus. Swift. 



The Swifts arrive regularly on April 28-30, and seem to 

 make their headquarters in the town, where the ruinous 

 citadel, the many minarets, and the extensive fortifications 

 afford ideal nesting accommodation for countless thousands. 

 Another attraction must be the abundance of flies, not un- 

 natural in a town where the main occupation of the in- 

 habitants in summer is the preparation of " tezek,'^ i. e. 

 sun-dried cakes of dung, to serve as fuel during the eight 

 months' winter. In 1910 they began to disappear on 

 August 15, and on the 17th there was not one left, but 

 after sundown on the same day my attention was arrested 

 by their familiar scream, and, looking up, I saw clouds of 

 them at an immense height, flying S.E. against the wind, 



