182 Commander H. Lynes on a 



Both these species of Shearwater are extremely inert wlien 

 taken from their breeding holes, not making the slightest 

 effort to escape, though they bite badly and gloves are 

 essential, as their beaks are powerful, A sitting Mediter- 

 ranean Shearwater taken to the top of the cliff, about GO feet 

 high, and dropped over its edge, seemed to spread out its 

 wings only just in time to save itself from striking the 

 boulders below. 



PoDicEPs NiGRicoLLis Brchm. 



A few Black-necked Grebes were first noticed (but may 

 have been there before) on Lake Menzaleh on 22ud Novem- 

 ber, while on 7th December they were abundant. As none 

 were seen on a previous visit on September 8th the species 

 was considered to be merely a winter visitor. 



COLUMBV LIVIA Gm. 



Met with from Crete to Gibraltar; apparently a resident 

 everywhere. 



IMachetes pugnax (L.). 



On 19th March in Crete, when the spring-migration had 

 just commenced, a compact flock of about twenty liuffs swept 

 along the edge of the sea-shore after sunset. 



Tringa minuta Leisl. 



One was obtained in Crete on March 2rth. 



TOTANUS OCROPHUS (L.). 



In Egypt on 26th August numbers of Green Sandpipers, 

 in rather scattered parties up to forty strong, Avere observed 

 from the ship when going through the Canal from north to 

 south. These birds, rising from the muddy banks at the edge 

 of the Canal, would keep just ahead of the ship and from 

 time to time fly across her bows, each individual uttering a 

 single or double musical pipe, while the general result was 

 a twittering song rather like that of a Swallow singiu"-. 

 Elsewhere, on migration, the species was only met with 

 singly or quite a few at a time. 



In Crete on 19th March t^vo specimens were shot from a 

 party of four migrants feeding in a ditch. 



