40 BRITISH BIRDS. 



admirably adapted as feeding places for the water-loving 

 birds. Natural accommodation for " land " birds is 

 almost entirely dependent upon the presence of fresh 

 water, for it is only in its immediate vicinity that 

 anything but a low sparse scrub exists. Thus it is in the 

 gardens, in and about the town, and around the banks of 

 the fresh-water canal and the waterworks tanks that we 

 find the tamarisk bushes, Aleppo pines, and other trees 

 whose foliage forms so welcome a retreat for the swarms 

 of tired and hungry little Warblers, Chats and other 

 Passerine birds, after their long journey over the Mediter- 

 ranean Sea. 



In the following notes I have not attempted to include 

 any but "land " birds, as I was quite unable to cope 

 with the water and marsh birds as well : my remarks 

 are therefore confined to the Passer es and Picarice, 

 together with a few notes only upon isolated species of 

 one or two other orders. The subject will be divided 

 into the following headings : — A. Migration Period. 

 B. Weather and Progress of Migration. C. Times. 

 D. Direction. E. Height. F. Speed. G. Age of 

 First Arrivals. H. Habits. 



A. Migration Period. 



When we arrived at Port Said on August 23rd, 

 migration was in full swing and had doubtless commenced 

 some weeks before. The passage continued in full in- 

 tensity, that is, the numbers of individuals remained 

 great, though the species varied, up to the end of 

 October, when the stream began to subside ; but it was 

 not until well into December that only belated migrants 

 or winter visitors had finally ceased to arrive, showing 

 (since, as I shall subsequently relate, the spring migration 

 starts in February) that ordinary passage migration is 

 really at a standstill only for a very short period in 

 winter in the Mediterranean. 



As an example of what may be called migration in 



