( 24 ) 



Butterflies became namerous in suitable river-beds: Melitaea didyma harterti, 

 Vtetkeisa jmlchella (a moth), and Tarucus thfiOjihraslus were common on tlie npiny 

 bushes of the Zizijphits, which were now covered with their yellow, sticky little 

 flowers, and a " White " {Pieris daplidice albidice) was ([uite ])lentiful. On the 

 24th we caught 70 butterflies, all of four species : the I'irri.t, '/'a rue tig, Mditaea, 

 and Papilio machaon kospitorudcs. 



Migratory birds were still about: on May 24th Chdklon lastica, Muncicapa 

 striafa, and two yellow Wagtails were seen. One after the other of the birds 

 inhabiting the northern Sahara turned up again: Crafrropu-s /ulcun /utrux and 

 Cursorius, north of El-IIadadra, on the 24th ; iinleridii Ihcldae cdrolinac, (Jaccabia 

 petrosa spatzi, between Oued el-Abiodh and Bordj Gaa, on the 2oth ; Columba litia 

 and Circact.us gallicus, near Sebseb, on the 26th ; Tartar seiiegalcnsis aeffi/ptiacus, 

 at Metlili, on the 27th. 



On Whit Sunday (26th) we camped in the Bordj of Sebseb, a small oasis, 

 founded by Chaamba about a generation ago. Of migrants, Chelidon ruxfica, 

 Muscicapa striata, S'jlcia comiiutnis, Laniiis senator, and ^fotacilla_/faca tkunbergi 

 were observed. Si/lma nana, deserti was common, and sang lustily in the bushes 

 on the sand-dunes near by, but no nest could l>e found. 



On the 27th we passed the extensive and rich oasis of Metlili, uiul camjicd in 

 an oued 24J km. from Ghardaia. Round the camp dead Helix candidisnima were 

 found. Metlili was originally founded by the Beni Mzab, but it is now chiefly 

 inhabited by Chaamba. Here and in Sebseb the wells are built and worked as 

 in Ghardaia, and there are as many old dry wells as new ones in use. On the 28th 

 we entered Ghardaia, coming over a rather bare stony plateau. Wonderful is the 

 view of Beni Isguen and the whole Mzab valley from those heights. 



We stopped in Ghardaia until June 2. In the little hotel — very good, e.\cept 

 for certain sanitary arrangements — it was sometimes ijuite gay. A Dutch jiainter 

 was staying there, Professor Snrcouf from the Paris Museum with his wife 

 and a friend came for a couple of daj's by automobile, and another auto visited 

 the place. Nearly every day a diligence left for Laglionat ; we received and 

 wrote letters. 



Of birds we observed : One single Mihus korxchnn, one single Ni'Ophron, 

 Fako tinnunculus, with eggs and young, in the ruins of the old Berber fortress 

 above the slaughterhouses, Tartur senrgaleiigis aeyijptiacus, and Tartar tartar 

 arenicola in plenty ; a few Con-as rorax umbrinan, fjanias crcubitor elegana, 

 Crateropm, (jrey-headed Sparrows, Amniomanes deserti alijericnsis, Oenanthe (Saxi- 

 cola) leacopijga,Eiiiberiza striolata sahari, Athene, all undoubtedly nesting. Koenig's 

 statement of the (common) occurrence of Goldfinches must be erroneous ; anyhow, 

 it is not found at Ghardaia at the nesting season. 



Of butterflies Teracolus nonna was common, but many were already much 

 worn ; Papilio machaon liospitonides, Pieris daplidice albidice, Taracas, and 

 Melitaea were caught, but we searched in vain for EucMoe. 



On June 2 we left Ghardaia, marching on the route of Professor Koenig, of 

 1893, towards Touggourt. 



Ghardaia had been very hot, and we quite enjoyed the first tiight in camp, 

 26 km. east of Ghardaia, with a minimum of 16' 0. We had a few large 

 drops of rain in the evening, and saw lightning over Ghardaia, where we had 

 had very little sun— a rather unusual thing at that time of the year, when the 

 sunshine is mostly unbroken throughout the day. 



