150 Notes during a Voyage from Ceylon to England. 



thered tribes visited us compared with those met with in the 

 Indian Ocean. 



On the 29th Oct. a White-headed Noddy {Anous tenuiros- 

 tris, Temm.) alighted on board. Vast shoals of dead locusts 

 were seen floating around the ship; also numbers of por- 

 poises sported around us. 



A Wagtail (M. dukhunensis, Sykes) paid us a visit on the 

 30th Oct., and remained with us all the way up the Red 

 Sea and Suez Canal, and left us in the Mediterranean. 



On the 31st a Peregrine Falcon, FaIco2}€regrinus,vfQ.& seen 

 flying around the vessel. It ultimately alighted on the main- 

 mast for a short time, and then left us for another vessel at 

 some distance from us"^. On this day a very handsome Owl 

 came on board. It was about the size of Syrnium indranee 

 of Ceylon, but of a lighter colour. It flew oS" in a straight 

 line for the African coast ; and we were unable to identify it. 



We entered the Suez Canal on the morning of the 3rd 

 Nov., and spent about two and a half days in getting through 

 it. The birds which we recognized along the banks and lakes 

 were principally Coots, Vultures [Neophron) , Moorhens, Hails, 

 Ducks and Teal, Divers, Godwits, Sandpipers, Curlews, vari- 

 ous Birds of Prey, Swallows, Pipits, Wagtails, &c. As we 

 neared the Port-Said end of the Canal, myriads of Waders 

 were seen fishing and pluming themselves on the lakes and 

 lagoons. The most conspicuous were Flamingoes and Peli- 

 cans ; and all on board agreed they had never seen a more 

 imposing army of Waders. During our run up the Medi- 

 terranean and the Bay of Biscay no birds visited us. We 

 had evidently got out of the track of migration, or it had 

 ceased for a time. During the entire voyage in the Indian 

 Ocean and Arabian Sea we experienced no stormy weather, 

 the wind, as a rule, blowing steadily from the north-east. 

 In the Red Sea the wind was more variable. 



It will be seen from these notes that we met with over 

 twenty species of land-birds in the Indian Ocean and Red 

 Sea, between the 20th and 31st of October ; and these we 



* This Peregrine was easily clistinguisbable from the bird I suppose to 

 be F. peregrvmtor^ by its size and flight. 



