List of Birds observed in Malta and Gozo. 237 
Acrocephalus turdoides ( Calamoherpe turdoides, Ibis, 
1864, p. 72). Two of these birds were taken alive, Oct. 1873, 
and became very tame in confinement, eating readily from 
the hand, and going in and out of their cage, in the open air, 
without any fear. Mr. F. Mamo, of this island, who is very 
successful in his treatment of soft-billed birds as cage-fa¬ 
vourites, kept them for some time. None of the pictures I 
have seen gives a correct idea of this bird's appearance in life. 
Its most natural position is crouching, the neck very thick 
and short, with its large head slightly raised and drawn in 
close to the shoulders, which are round and broad. 
Merops persicus (Ibis, 1864, p. 73). One of these rare 
and adventitious wanderers to Europe was shot in Malta since 
the publication of my “ Fourth Appendix." It was killed at 
the end of May 1871, at the Inquisitor's Palace, by F. Camil- 
leri, barber of the Central Hospital, out of a flock; but whether 
of the same or of the common kind (M. apiaster ) he could 
not say. He was first attracted by its note, which was dif¬ 
ferent from any he had heard before. The specimen is in 
my collection. It is a male in spring plumage. It is the 
only Malta-killed specimen extant, as all trace is lost of the 
only other example I know of, said by Schembri to have been 
killed in Sept. 1840. 
Alcedo ispida (Ibis, 1864, p. 73). This bird was unusually 
abundant in the autumn of 1873. Its Maltese name, Ghasfur 
la San Martin , is derived from the time of year it generally 
makes its appearance, namely, the Feast of St. Martin. One 
bird-stufier preserved about twenty specimens. I noticed 
it on the 30th Oct. and 3rd Nov., 1873, and 7th Jan., 1874— 
on the second of these occasions in the Dockyard Creek, 
right in amongst the boats and shipping. 
Tringa minuta (Ibis, 1864, p. 492). I shot several ex¬ 
amples on the 27th May, this year; but although they had 
almost assumed complete summer plumage, dissection did 
not show any signs of approach to the breeding-state. The 
stomach of one of them contained small marine shells of the 
species Truncatetta truncatula. ; . 
s 
SER. III.-VOL. IV. 
