Vol. XXXIII 



1915 



Phillips, Birds of Sinai. 277 



stretches along the beach. The place is interesting to students of 

 migration for it seems to be on the great highway from northeast 

 Africa up the great Dead Sea depression to Palestine, and so over 

 western Asia. We took a good many birds here, among them a 

 Land Rail in a half dead condition, a Baillon's Crake, one specimen 

 of the rare Audouin's Gull, here far east and south of its eastern 

 limit, a stray Burgomaster Gull, also well south of its range, some 

 Dunlins and Greenshank and a couple of Garganey Teal. One 

 night we saw coming north up the gulf the most extraordinary 

 flock of hawks I have ever heard of. We judged there were 1500 

 to 1800 scattered out over a wide area. We shot four and they 

 were of one species, the Levant Sparrow Hawk. Such a flock must 

 have been migrating from Africa or perhaps south Arabia, but the 

 species has only been taken once or twice in Egypt and never 

 elsewhere in Africa. 



Among the palm trees hundreds of splendid European Bee- 

 eaters with their tuneful chirping were constantly at work on a 

 small sand beetle that was just then having its nuptial flight. 

 We saw here for the first time the curious awkward Hopping 

 Thrush, a pale thrasher-like bird that seems really ashamed of its 

 power of flight. It is another of the characteristic Dead Sea 

 species. 



There were a good many Fan-tailed Ravens here and many 

 migrating Blue-headed Wagtails, besides other birds that need 

 not be mentioned. The Fan-tailed Raven has a curious flight and 

 sometimes tumbles like the Roller. Tristram describes its note as 

 rich and musical. A careful two months' collecting in the Akaba 

 palms at the proper season would produce a very rich collection of 

 migrants. 



Between Akaba and Petra our advance guard was robbed, and 

 the Arabian soldier with it was shot and left for dead by the robbers. 

 This was at the rise of the great plateau which bounds the eastern 

 side of the desert of Arabah, always a bad region. 



Once on top of the cliffs you reach a cold and windy region and 

 see the first traces of rude cultivation. W r e did no more collecting 

 till we reached Petra, that famous old city of the Nabataeans. 



Petra is in the middle of one of the many canyons that lead down 

 from the great Arabian plateau to the Dead Sea basin. There is 



