30 Mr. J. H. Stenhouse on 



very strongly, and as the islands are then dead to windward 

 of the anchorage, the journey out in a small sailing-boat is 

 not altogether a pleasure. My first visit was, on account 

 of this beat to windward, very short ; but on the second 

 occasion, when I was accompanied by Lieut, (now Com- 

 mander) Farquhar and Lieut. Cochrane, of H.M.S. 'Hawke/ 

 we made the voyage in a very crank native boat, and managed 

 to spend the whole afternoon on this and the neighbouring 

 island Sanani, and, though much annoyed by mosquitoes, 

 we were amply rewarded by the results. I was in hopes, 

 when recently serving on the Mediterranean Station, of 

 having an opportunity of revisiting the islands during the 

 breeding-season, but was disappointed. However, they are 

 well worth exploration by any bird-lover who may pass that 

 way, being not only what may prove to be the most easterly 

 breeding-place of the rarest of our European Gulls, but also, 

 probably, the northernmost locality for the Arabian repre- 

 sentative of the Lesser Tern, as well as for another lied- Sea 

 species, the Allied Tern. 



The birds observed on these islands were : — 



1. MoTACILLA ALBA. 



A family-party of these Wagtails was found on an out- 

 lying piece of coral-rock on Nakl Island, and one which was 

 shot proved to be an adult male in breeding-plumage. The 

 young birds had evidently not long left the nest, which we 

 found in a crevice of the coral. It contained an infertile egg 

 of the brown variety, which measured *83" x "61". Some of 

 these Wagtails were also seen on Sanani. I have no doubt 

 that the abundance of mosquitoes is the chief inducement 

 which keeps them on the islands. 



2. Sylvia rueppelli. 



A male of this species was picked up on my first visit to 

 Nakl ; it had probably died on migration north. 



3. Larus audouini. 



On my first visit several Gulls were seen, though none were 

 obtained, and their breeding-place was not discovered ; but 

 on the second occasion we found the nesting-place of a colony 



