Mr. C. W. Wyatt on the Birds of Sinai. 9 



flocks, and Sylvia dori(S was not uncommon, frequenting the 

 same spot as Saxicula monacha. A few flocks of Sand- Grouse 

 {Pterocles coronatus) visited the marshes, probably to drink, 

 in the early morning. On two occasions I saw the whole flock 

 alight in the middle of the stream, where the water was hardly 

 an inch deep -, but they were ofi" again before I could stalk them. 

 In the bay, in front of Tor, there were generally some Gulls ; 

 but they were very shy, and, as there was no covert, there was 

 no means of getting at them — though I managed to obtain an 

 example of Larus gelastes as I was one day returning along 

 the shore from Jebel Nagus, which, having fallen into the water, 

 was retrieved by a passing Bedawy, regardless of the Sharks, 

 which abound along this coast. Through my glass I was able 

 to distinguish Chroicocephalus ridibundus and C. melanocephalus. 

 Towards the end of February I again ascended the mountains, 

 after an absence of more than three weeks. There seemed to 

 have been more change in the flora than in the birds, the 

 retem and several desert-plants being in full blossom. Cotyle 

 palustris, however, had found his way up as far as Wiidys Soliif 

 and Feiran; and on the following day I shot our Common 

 Martin [Chelidon urbica), which had probably wandered some- 

 what out of its usual course, as this was the only occasion on 

 which I met with it amongst the mountains. After I had 

 spent a few days at Wady Feiran, during which time I ob- 

 tained Lanius auriculatur and Saxicola eurymelana, both evi- 

 dently just arrived, I started for a three weeks^ trip to the 

 mining-districts of Maghara and Sarbut-el-Khadem, thence by 

 Wady Baba to the coast. At the Hammam bluff we turned 

 southward again to Sarbut-el-Jemel, and descended to the 

 plain of Er Ramleh, which extends along the base of the Tih 

 mountains. Along this plain we travelled until we again as- 

 cended the mountains. There are no running streams in this 

 part of the peninsula; but many of the wadys were bright and 

 green from the eS'ects of the winter rains. Hovering over a 

 retem bush in full blossom, in a small wady at the foot of Sar- 

 but-el-Khadem, I first met with Sylvia bonellii. In Wady Baba 

 there is a good deal of vegetation, palms and shittim-trces. I 

 did not, however, find any birds I had not before met with 



