LAND BIBDS AT SEA. 259 



We did not receive another visitor till three days out from 

 Port Said, on 23rd September, when a Wheatear (Saxicola 

 cenanthe) came to tea and slept the night. Next morning another 

 had arrived, and a little later a Redstart (Ruticilla phcenicurus) 

 put in an appearance. The Wheatears left in the afternoon for 

 the south-east, and the Redstart made itself quite at home on 

 one of the guns. It so happened that a sailor was turning out 

 his "bag" (which is a nautical receptacle for clothes), and the 

 ship during her twelve years in Australia had collected a very 

 fine breed of Cockroaches. As the sailor was shaking out a 

 jumper a Cockroach was jerked out on to the deck in front of the 

 Redstart, who pounced down and greedily devoured it. That 

 started half the crew Cockroach-catching, in which I joined 

 myself, and there never was a pampered bird so banqueted 

 before. I gave it eleven, and it was fed till dark ; the capacity 

 of its stomach was truly remarkable. 



During the night our ship's terrier caught a small bird, which 

 I believe was a Whitethroat from an examination of the chewed 

 remains in the morning. 



On sighting Malta, our friendly Redstart left us and flew 

 away, not towards the land, but in a southerly direction towards 

 the African coast ; so I imagine the Redstart did not perch on 

 board us for the sole purpose of resting, but had lost its way, 

 and on its seeing Malta it recognised a landmark in the route 

 southwards, and proceeded on its migratory course. The weather 

 was fine all the way from Suez. 



I never sighted another land bird till we were forty miles 

 off the Land's End, when, in a strong north-easterly gale on 

 Oct. 15th, a Song Thrush (Turdus musicus) flew on board. I 

 never saw a more slovenly untidy bird, but as it was the first to 

 welcome me home after an absence of five years from England, I 

 forgave it its slatternly appearance. It didn't stay long, and, 

 after trying vainly to fly to windward, turned tail, and was blown 

 away on a course which would have eventually landed it in 

 South America. Earlier in the morning I had seen a Duck 

 (sp. inc.) very high up and flying very fast towards Ushant; but 

 I can hardly include this in the list, as I failed to recognise the 

 species. That completes my list of birds, and H.M.S. ' Royalist' 

 arrived next day at Falmouth. 



