MIGRATION. 287 



According to the statements of M. Schlegel, Eu- 

 ropean birds of passage generally pass the winter in 

 Africa and in the south-west of Asia. Forskal enu- 

 merates a great number of birds which, according to 

 the report of an Arab hunter, spend the winter in the 

 north of Africa ; but as we are not furnished with the 

 systematic names of these birds, the information is of 

 little use at present. MM. Hemprich and Ehren- 

 berg met with many birds of Europe in the valley of 

 the Nile ; many of these are also found in Upper 

 Egypt, in Nubia, arid even in Abyssinia. The interior 

 of Africa is at present too imperfectly known to fur- 

 nish us with any certain information concerning the 

 birds which arrive and make a temporary stay there ; 

 but we find our birds of passage upon the western 

 shores of that part of the world during the severities 

 of our winter season. 



Nothing is, upon the whole, more probable than that 

 the largest number of our birds of passage inhabit the 

 interior of Africa during the winter. M. Schlegel 

 thinks that after having passed the Mediterranean 

 they distribute themselves in the north of Africa ; 

 that the greater part of the aquatic birds hasten to 

 the banks of the Nile, where they find suitable nou- 

 rishment, and where they pass the winter, while the 

 innumerable flocks of insectivorous birds of passage 

 penetrate a great deal further to the south. Some of 

 the birds of the southern point of Africa are in the 

 habit of migrating on the approach of winter ; it does 

 not appear where they can direct their course unless 

 to the north, button this point there is a great dearth 

 of positive information. 



M. J. Konijnenburg, in his Memoir upon the 

 Birds of Passage that frequent the Netherlands, states 

 the following as the results of his investigations: 

 The greater part of the spring, autumn, and winter 

 birds of passage corne from the borders ( and forests 



2 E 3 



