Birds by the Wayside 117 



Chaffinch (Fringilla coelehs coelehs). These were the first 

 of these species to be identified by me. 



Although at Smyrna we enjoyed a long and delightful 

 drive, that took us without the city, the bird sights differed 

 little from those seen at Beyrout. The natural history inter- 

 ests of our party were not entirely extinguished when we 

 left the land. Someone in exploring the ship found a goat 

 among the fifth-class passengers. A string of beads deco- 

 rated Nannie's neck, and it was feared that she had been 

 prepared for the sacrifice. Since we had strong suspicions 

 that at times our beef had been horse and our mutton had 

 been goat, it was deemed advisable to keep an eye on Nan- 

 nie: therefore several times each day some member or other 

 of our party wandered into the fifth-class quarters to make 

 sure that she was alive and well. By this means we ob- 

 tained a better knowledge of the accommodations furnished 

 to this class of travelers along the coast of Asia Minor. 

 While making friends with the goat a glance could now and 

 then be cast upon her brightly-dressed human neighbors, 

 who were crowded about her. On either side of narrow 

 aisles the ship's space was divided into compartments that 

 measured about thirty inches in height, four feet in width, 

 and six or seven feet in length. These evidently were two- 

 storied berths for the reception of bedding, some of which 

 were thus occupied. The goat occupied the lower one near- 

 est the entrance and in neighboring pens women sat crouched 

 over fires, attending to their cooking, or in other ways re- 

 lieving the tedium of a 'sea voyage. 



Seemingly no spot in the Old World is without its story 

 of the past in the form of authentic history, tradition, or the 

 creation of the poetic imagination, half-forgotten memories 

 of which come to mind, while we are occupied with present 

 scenes and experiences. Probably it is well that tourists do 

 not question overmuch about the exact scene of this or that 

 ancient happening, since if they did, sham relics, such as 

 abound in Palestine, would be prepared for them. The plains 

 of ancient Troy cannot easily be passed unnoted by those of 



