370 ME. E, T. GUNTHEE ON THE 



"Wolves occasionally visit the villages by night, when they are 

 received like Xurds, with gunshots fired in no particular 

 direction from the roofs of the houses. 



Two bats (probably Bliinolophus hipposideros, Bechst.) were 

 seen flying about the houses in the evening. 



The birds most in evidence were magpies, hoopoes, small 

 insectivorous hawks which nest in great numbers in the higher 

 trees in the city, tits, and numberless sparrows. In the hills a 

 few coveys of the red-iegged partridge are to be seen, but they 

 are difficult to approach. Quails frequent the cultivated fields 

 and are taken by hawking, a very popular and fashionable amuse- 

 ment in Persia. Quails are also caught by taking advantage of 

 their stupid curiosity. The fowler and his assistants walk out 

 into the field where the quails are supposed to be and hold up a 

 large white sheet, often decorated with painted snakes, birds 

 of prey, or other unpleasant but conspicuous creatures. The 

 inquisitive quails cautiously walk towards the lure, and finally 

 approach near enough for the patient fowler to put a net over 

 them. 



Testudo ihera is common in the dry torrent-beds on the hill- 

 sides. I examined about a couple of dozen and found only three 

 which were free from parasitic Acari, which Mr. A. Michael has 

 kindly identified for me as Bhipiceplialus simus, or sanguineus. 

 The parasites are always attached to parts where they are in no 

 danger of being rubbed off. One tortoise had four of these 

 bloodsuckers, one in the " armpit " of the right hind foot and 

 three on its tail. 



Neither lizards nor snakes were as common as I should have 

 expected. Phrynoceplialus seemed to be unknown to the natives, 

 who, however, described a lizard which seemed to be Stellio 

 caucasicus. JEreinia was fairly abundant. 



A list of the insects collected at Seir is given on p. 408. The 

 general character of the Lepidoptera struck me as being remark- 

 ably European at first sight; but many of the species exhibit 

 a rather more sandy or desert type of coloration. In the 

 early morning the blues were extremely common on the Mentha 

 tomentosa growing near the little stream, | mile to the S.W. of 

 the village. Several fell a prey to the voracity of a large black- 

 and-yellow spider {Lycosd). The only beetles which I obtained 

 were Julodis Icevicostatus, L. & Gr., and Liccus hardance, F., 

 covered with yellow pollen. The higher slopes of the hills were 

 poor in butterflies during the middle of the day, but rich in 



