146 Contrih'utions to the Ornithology of India, 8fc. 



inter se, is carried on by native omnibus boats which duriug the 

 day in fine weather may be seen incessantly entering and leav- 

 ing- the harbom% and which carry passengers and their goods 

 backwards and forwards at an excessively low rate. 



Of course there is scarcely any vegetation about Muscat^ a few 

 gardens and date trees^ in the outskirts of the town, being all 

 there is to show under that head ; but further inland, we were 

 told that, at the distance of only a few miles, both cultivation 

 and trees were to be found. Certainly along the coast for five 

 or six miles, on either side, and just inside the coast so far as I 

 could see, in crossing some of the hills which divide the Muscat 

 basin, from those of other neighbouring sea-side places, it would 

 be impossible to conceive a more utterly sterile place. This it is, 

 I suppose, that explains the scarcity of birds, for inland, we were 

 assured, that there were many. So far as my explorations went, 

 besides those already noticed, A. hisitaniawsiS the only bird seen. 



Muscat has three great branches of trade, that in rock salt, 

 from Ormuz and Kism, islands, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, 

 dates and fish. As from Gwader, so here, the export of dried fish 

 and of sharks^ fins to China is considerable. Of the fishing a 

 great deal might be said, but I will not trench on Dr. Day^s 

 province, suffice it that nowhere have I seen such astounding 

 shoals of sardines, and horse mackarels, such multitudes of bonitas, 

 or such marvellously-coloured fish, green, pink, crimson, bright 

 yellow with the brightest smalt blue ribbands, fish in fact of 

 all colours, sizes, and shapes, and last, though not least, some at 

 any rate that are matchless eating. 



%hr,h. — At sea. Last night we left Muscat. I have omitted, I 

 see, to note that the sea scenerjT- along the coast near Muscat is 

 in places, very fine ; grand stacks of rock, perhaps a hundred feet 

 in height, stand out here and there amongst the waves, feathered, 

 when a breeze rises, with foam to their top-most peak, the 

 ospreys special perch ; or long ragged lines of lofty and perpendi- 

 cular cliffs, here and there burrowed by the waters, rise frowning 

 out of the deep, gi-een, silver-laced water. On a bright day like 

 yesterday, with a light breeze curling the crests of the waves 

 which it spurs on to dash half playfully, half pettishly against 

 the grim chevanx-de-frise of rocks with which the whole coast 

 line here bristles, nothing could well be more enjoyable than 

 a long row, such as took, following at the distance of a few hun- 

 dred yards, the sinuosities of the shore, except perhaps — the excel- 

 lent alfresco lunch we made after it, in a tiny nook, where Nep- 

 tune had already considerately spread for us a snowy cloth of 

 the finest pounded coral. 



For some hours we have been seeing phaleropes, and have 



