38 
was melancholy to see the strings of rohins, thrushes, stonechats, 
titlarks, willow wrens, sparrows, blackcaps, starlings, wrens, sky- 
larks, and blackbirds. 
Before commencing my journey into the Sahara, I visited one 
or two other towns in the Tell* viz., Blida, Bouffarik, Miliana. 
The mountains of the Atlas raise their snow-capped summits 
behind Blida, forming the southern boundary of the valley of the 
Metidja. Bouffarik is merely a village. Miliana is a fortified 
town on the slope of Mount Zakkar, overlooking a level plain, 
watered by the river Chelif. 
At these places I got the dipper, [C Indus aquatieus,) mentioned 
by Loche as very rare, (Exploration sc. oiseaux, 1, p. 306,) and 
many other interesting birds, such as Cettis’ warbler, {Potamodus 
cettii, Marm.,) the Spanish sparrow, (Passer saJicaria,) the dusky 
ixos, (Ixos-ohscurus,) the lesser spotted woodpecker, (Picus minor, 
P. ledoucii, Malh.,) the meadow hunting, (Emberiza cia,) and 
Moussier’s redstart, (Ruticilla. moussieri.) 
After a month spent in this way, I finally started for the 
interior. I need not describe Boghari, the first halting-place ; it 
is an Arab village, but very poorly represents what I afterwards 
saw in the Mzab country. 
The first cai'avanserai, properly so called, and the best, is 
Bougzoul. It is in the Hants Plateaux. [A caravanserai is a 
white one-storied fortified house, enclosing a large court-yard, with 
chambers all round for the accomodation of travellers, and stabling 
for several horses. The Hants Plateaux, or Steppes, are inter- 
changeable terms for the northern portion of the Little Desert, (or 
Algerian Sahara,) which commences where the Tell ends, and 
terminates at Waregla.] 
Though but twelve miles distant from the mountains, the water 
at Bougzoul is nearly unfit for drinking. The guide hook correctly 
states it to be “ rare, salee, amere, chaude," four emphatic adjec- 
tives which apply only too truly. I suppose it comes by some 
means from the neighbouring marsh, where the phenomenon of 
mirage may he seen every day. I believe Dr. Tristram found a 
profusion of waterfowl at this marsh. When I was there it was 
nearly dry. The sandgrouse and the desert wheatear had sup- 
Dr. Tristram defines the 'Tell as “ the corn-growing country from the 
coast to the Atlas.” (Ibis. 1, p. 277.) 
