H. LYNES : MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 41 



" full swing," I will quote the following extract from my 

 diary of August 26th : — 



" Landed at 2.30 p.m. to explore the region of the 

 fresh-water canal. Soon found that even in the little 

 desert space before reaching the canal, birds were very 

 abundant. Shrikes, Great Grey and Red-backed, were 

 especially numerous, perched on every other bush, post, 

 or knoll. Common Wheatears were also plentiful, and 

 so were Quails, endeavouring to lie perdu in the sparse 

 thistle-like bushes. As there was so much of interest on 

 the route progress was but slow, and it was not until 

 4. 30 that I had covered the half mile between the landing 

 place and the grove of Aleppo pine trees around the 

 waterworks at the terminus of the fresh- water canal. 

 Here was a marvellous spectacle, literally thousands and 

 thousands of little soft-billed fly-catching birds were 

 among the trees. They were chiefly Willow- Wrens, but 

 there were also many Bonelli's Warblers, Lesser White- 

 throats, Nightingales, Great Grey, and Red-backed 

 Shrikes, Spotted Flycatchers, Hoopoes, and doubtless 

 other species invisible among the thick foliage. All the 

 inhabitants of this ' avian metropolis ' appeared to be 

 imbued with activity, searching for food in a restless 

 sort of way, as if anxious to catch what they could 

 and be off again. 



" Birds were by no means the only creatures whose 

 presence was obtrusive for, being Sunday, ' tout le monde 

 en famille ' was picnicing under the same trees. 



" Shooting, fortunately for human as well as bird life, 

 being prohibited in the immediate vicinity of the water- 

 works, I was unable to procure any specimens there, but 

 proceeding quietly down the canal, the tamarisks that 

 fringe its banks were found also to be teeming with 

 small birds. Boys were catapulting them, ' sportsmen ' 

 were shooting them, one gay chasseur had a sort of 

 buttonhole consisting of a Quail, a Cuckoo, a Hoopoe 

 and smaller fry, and many had network game-bags 

 bulged out with Quail and ' etceteras.' Even among the 



