A DILETTANTE IN THE CAUCASUS. -I'll 



■eggs. This species occurs throughout the Eastern Traus- 

 caucasus and the shores of the Caspian. A young Koller was 

 found in a hole, with the first feathers just heginning to appear. 

 It is odd that such brilliantly-coloured birds as the Roller and 

 Bee-eater should nest in holes. I noticed a Bee-eater tly direct 

 into a hole to his nest in a hole in a mud-bank by the roadside. 



The hills of Boz Dagh attain no great altitude, but their 

 wildness and the desolation of the scene give the impression of 

 true mountain scenery ; vertical cliffs, carved boldly into ravines 

 xind gorges almost barren of vegetation, have the effect of a 

 wild and desolate mountain-range in miniature. In the gorge 

 itself there is a tolerably rich flora. There are three species of 

 Juniper, Juniperus oxycedrus, J, foetidissima, and J. isophyllus ; 

 other characteristic plants are Pistacia inutica, EphcEdra procera, 

 Rhus cotiuus, Primus inicrocarpus, Pcdiurus australis, and some 

 of our old acquaintances from the steppe occur here, too, as 

 Prosopis stephaniana, Capparis spinosa, which develops an agree- 

 able smell in the evening, Alhagi camelorum and Artemisia 

 maritima ; the feathery, mauve flowers of the Tamarisk are 

 much in evidence ; Reaumuria is a pretty little mauve flower, 

 with glaucous stem and leaves. The structure of the hills is 

 clearly visible from the crest of the highest escarpment, which 

 is only about 200 metres above the sea. There is a series of 

 undulating escarpments, striking about north-east and south- 

 west, with a gentle dip, culminating in the range of hills in 

 question, the well-named Boz Dagh, or Grey Mountain. 



The dry, grey rocks look like a good home for reptiles, but 

 they are not numerous; I saw one Agama caucasica, Eichw., a 

 good- sized, grey Lizard that frequents these hills. There are a 

 dozen species of Snake known in the neighbourhood, but they 

 do not seem to be very much in evidence. Under the balcony of 

 the house was captured a Tarbophis ibera {= vivax), a typical 

 Caucasian snake ; his venomous properties are not definitely 

 known, but he is regarded with suspicion ; he certainly has a 

 poisonous appearance ; he is fond of getting into the roofs of 

 houses to hunt for small birds. The Tartars call him Bam Ham. 

 The only undoubtedly venomous snake in the Aresh district is 

 the ponderous Vipera lebetina, L. This is by no means rare in 

 the dry steppe, where it feeds on Gerbilles, Hares, and small 



