362 Lieut. C. B. Ticelmrst on the [Ibis, 



seen during a spring visit to the island over ten years 

 ago. It is uncertain how much of Leege-Juist's material 

 on Texel birds was from first-hand knowledge and how much 

 gathered from other sources. Mr. Daalder, the schoolmaster 

 at Oosterend, supplied me with some information, which, 

 though mainly correct, I think, I cannot vouch for. Referred 

 to as (D.). 



The Island of Texel is the largest and most westerly of the 

 chain of Dutch Friesian Islands lying off the north coast of 

 Holland. The other islands going eastward are Vlieland, 

 Terschelling, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog, and Rottum, and 

 to the east of the last lie the German chain of islets — 

 Borkum, Juist, Norderney, &c. On the North Sea side of 

 Texel the island is bounded by undulating sand-dunes, in 

 many places a mile wide, in the hollows of which are small 

 reed-girt lakes and shallower pools in various stages of 

 evaporation. The dunes are covered with marram and other 

 grasses, while brambles, sea-buckthorn, &c., occur in 

 patches. 



Bird-life here is scarce as regards the smaller species, and 

 since the difference between hioh- and low-water mark is 

 comparatively small and the foreshore is plain sand, the 

 locality is not suited to the requirements of Waders. On the 

 Zuyder Zee side of the island the main sea-wall keeps the sea 

 out from the polders and grass-land. Between Oosterend 

 and De Cocksdorp is the vast sand-flat called the Vlakte viin 

 Kerken, with a good many muddy channels, while between 

 the sand and the sea-wall is a fair-sized strip of " puzzle- 

 weed " (sea-grass, sea-daisy, sea-lavender, &c.). With a 

 strong S.W. wind the tide here comes right up to the sea- 

 wall, at other times it only comes up the channels, the main 

 high-water mark being a long way out on the sands ; indeed, 

 at times anyone might stand on the sands and hardly be able 

 to discern where high-water mark is. At low-water mark 

 merely a channel is left between Texel and Vlieland, which is 

 visible on the horizon though only about five or six miles 

 distant. It is on these sand-flats that masses of sea-birds of 

 various kinds collect during the autumnal passage, to whose 



