( 65 ) 

 01. Ixobrychus minutus (L.). 



Cf. Nov. Zool. xviii. p. 530. (Sub nomine: ArdelUi. m'muta.) 



A female shot, aud another specimen seen, El-Golea, May 15. 

 92. *Egretta garzetta garzetta (L.). 



Cf. Loche, Expl. Scienl. Algerie, Ois. ii. p. 133 : Cat. B. Brit. Miis. xxvi. p. 119. 



Captain Charlet sent me a specimen from In-Salah, obtained in the antiimn 

 of 1912. 



93. (* ?) Nycticorax nycticorax nycticorax (L.). 



Cf. Nov. Znul. xviii. p. 53!). 



Twice seen on May 10, at El-Golea. 



94. *Ciconia ciconia ciconia (L.). 



Cf. Nov. Zool. xviii. p. 533. 



Oq Febrnary 9 we witnessed the arrival of the fir.st Stork, in the early 

 morning ; on the same day a flock of probably si.xty or eighty was seen from the 

 train in the plain of El-Outaya, near Bi.skra. 



A single stork, dirty and dishevelled, was observed ;it Igosten, April 15, and 

 another — perhaps the same — at In-Salah on the 22nd. 



The most interesting and almost incredible information abont a flight of storks 

 is contained in a letter by (Japitaine Charlet, dated In-Salah, 19. viii. 1912. 



The Captain writes: "The heat this year has been qnite nncommon. The 

 natives whom I saw the other day at Aonlef told me that they never witnessed 

 it like that before ; the dates are quite hardened, which means a great loss 

 to them. 



" The natives have succeeded in catching at Inrhar, 60 km. from here, in one 

 week over 500 Storks, which descended half-dead from thirst near the water- 

 basins in the gardens ! They reckon that it is a gift of heaven to compensate 

 them for the loss of their date-crop, and eat greedily this game of a novel 

 description." 



I need not emphasize the interest attached to this communication. I gather 

 from it, that such quantities of storks do not, as a rule, visit Tidikelt ; why they 

 should have been half-starved or weakened from thirst is difficult to understand, as 

 the exceptional heat of last summer did not extend north of the Atlas, and I doubt 

 if it takes a stork longer than a day to fly from the Atlas to Inrhar. What 

 astonishes me most is the early date of this 'invasion of storks — in August, as the 

 letter was written August 19 ! I wrote at once, asking if any rings had been 

 found on the logs, as it wonld be of great interest to know whence these storks 

 had come, and if any were " marked," l)ut so far tlie answer has not arrived. 



95. *Plegadis falcinellus (Ii.). 



Cf. Nor. Znul. xviii. p. 541. 



An adult male, with testicles of tiie size of a small lia/,.d-nut (17 mm. long), 

 shot at El-Golca, 28. iii. 1912. 

 5 



