Mr. W. Thompson on migratory Birds. 125 



mandibulisque porrectis, apertis, longitudine cornu clypei, intus 

 ad basin multi-dentatis, pronoto serie punctorum margine antico, 

 parallela, punctisque duobus majoribus versus angulos posticos. 

 Long. Corp. 1 unc. Habitat Thibet. Mus. Melly. 



XVII. — Notice of migratory Birds which alighted on, or were 



seen from, H.M.S. Beacon, Capt. Graves, oti the passage 



from Malta to the Morea at the end of April 1841. By 



Wm. Thompson, Esq., Vice-Pres. Nat. Hist. Society of 



Belfast. 



Having been favoured by my friend Capt. Graves, R.N., 

 with an invitation to accompany him during the projected 

 government survey of the island of Candia, I, Avith Mr. E. 

 Forbes (who had received from the Admiralty the honorary 

 appointment of Naturalist on the occasion), left Malta in 

 H.M.S. Beacon on the 21st of April. The first port we sailed 

 for was Navarino, for the purpose of watering the ship. The 

 passage occupied seven days. It being just the period of the 

 year when many species of birds which make Europe their 

 abode only in the more genial seasons, were, after having 

 passed the winter in x\frica, crossing the Mediterranean to 

 their summer quarters, we were often gratified by a sight of 

 them, either passing, resting briefly on the rigging, or re- 

 maining sometimes so long as a day or more about the ship. 



The following notes were made upon the subject. The 

 prevailing wind of the day is set down : the progress noted is 

 what we had made at sunset. 



April 22. — Wind W., forty miles E. of Malta. An Owl 

 alighted on the vessel and remained a short time. I saw it 

 very well and near, but could not be certain of its species. 

 Looking over the collection at the British Museum and refer- 

 ring to Gould's ' Birds of Europe' since my return, have not 

 satisfied me on the point. Other examples of the same spe- 

 cies were seen on the passage, and afterwards in the island of 

 Paros. It seems to be the most common of the small migra- 

 tory owls to the south of Europe, and I have little doubt is 

 the species noticed by Sibthorp in his papers on Greece (pub- 

 lished in Walpole's Memoirs) as the Strix passerina. — Blue- 

 headed Wagtail [Motacilla neglecta, Gould) : two of these 

 birds, both females, were about the vessel all day, and very 

 tame ; one of them flew into our cabin. It was amusing to 

 see them fly-catching on the deck, where they appeared to 

 great advantage, and met with considerable success. Their 

 manner is, poking out the neck most ludicrously, opening 



