262 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. 



olive-groves, returning to Palestine about the middle of April. 

 We found the nests both in the walls of ruins and in hollow 

 trees. No less than four birds were caught on their eggs in 

 holes of olive-trees. It does not come out so soon as the Athene 

 persica, indeed is seldom heard till after sunset. All my speci- 

 mens are a little larger and decidedly paler in hue than those 

 from the south of Europe. In this respect it appears to approach 

 the Indian S. pennata ; but I have not a specimen by me for 

 comparison. 



Bubo ascalaphus, Sav. This is the most common Owl of 

 Palestine next to Athene persica, and, like it, adapts itself to the 

 ever varying physical geography of the country. In the rolling 

 uplands of Beersheba it resorts to burrows in the ground ; at 

 Eabbath Ammon it has its home among the ruins; in the ravines 

 of Galilee and the Ghor it retires in security to the most inac- 

 cessible caverns. Mr. Upcher shot one which dashed out of a 

 cave as we were climbing for Griffons' nests in the Wady Hamam, 

 and with the other barrel brought down a Woodcock which rose 

 from another cave at the same time. We had two eggs brought 

 to us near the Jabbok, which could only have belonged to this 

 bird. In the uplands of Beersheba it is very common, and I 

 frequently have put it up at noon day. It invariably disappeared 

 into some burrow after a short flight. 



Asio OTUS (L.). Not often found, and then only in the 

 wooded districts and highlands. 



Asio BRACHYOTUS (L.). A winter visitant only; but at that 

 season equally distributed in the north and on the bare downs 

 of the south. 



Syrnium ALUCo (L.). Very common where there is large 

 timber, but nowhere else. When camping in the forest country 

 of Gilead in April, we heard its hoot night after night, and took 

 one nest in a tree containing three hard-set eggs. In the col- 

 lection of the late Mr. Herschell there was a specimen shot by 

 that gentleman at Jericho, certainly an exceptional locality ; and 

 when at the Cedars of Lebanon, we found it very numerous, 

 roosting in twos and threes in the highest tops of the patriarchs 



