746 Mr. C. B. Ticeliurst on the Birds noticed 
I wondered for wliat purpose these two allied species thus 
“ decorate ” their nests. This nest was ready for eggs. The 
Maltese Sparrow (Passer domesticus mehtensis) I saw only 
round houses, and even there it seemed wild, hut I remarked 
that the striping on the flanks was very noticeable. In 
Florianalong earthenware bottles, with the bottoms knocked 
out, are put up under the eaves for these birds to nest in. 
On the morning of the 25th, when a hundred and eighty- 
three miles from Malta and from the African coast, we had 
Turtle-Doves passing across our bows every half-hour or so 
in twos and threes. None settled, and only one circled round 
the boat until joined by two or three others, and then went, as 
did all the others, N. by E. In the afternoon a Blue-liead 
Wagtail came on board, and remained with us until we w r ere off 
Alexandria—an assisted passage of seven hundred and fifty 
miles. Later a Meadow-Pipit and some Swallows alighted; 
the latter went to roost in the saloon. 
On skinning the birds I had bought in the Malta market, I 
found that the Scops Owl had the remains of a lizard and 
some beetles in the gizzard and that the ovary was not 
enlarged appreciably ; the ovary of the Rock-Thrush was in 
the same state and the gizzard held the remains of beetles and 
snails. The Roller had the remains of beetles in its gizzard, 
the testes slightly enlarged; the Red-footed Falcon had the 
ovary not enlarged and remains of beetles in the gizzard; the 
Golden Orioles had the organs slightlyenlarged, and some had 
the remains of green and hairy caterpillars in their gizzards. 
The last-mentioned birds were fairly fat, the colour of the fat 
being bright golden. The colour of fat in birds varies some¬ 
what, and perhaps has some correlation with the colour of the 
plumage. I have once or twice noted that some birds with 
bright red in the soft parts ( e. g. adult Oyster-catchers) have 
the fat distinctly tinged with red. 
The next day we were skirting along about sixty miles from 
the African coast, but the only birds seen were a Swallow and 
some Mediterranean Shearwaters; these latter were going 
about in parties of five or six, and their typical flight was 
well seen. They seemed to fly in segments of large circles and 
