412 
Mr. F. C. Selous on 
structures of grass, lined with feathers, and with the 
entrance-hole on one side. I suppose there were over fifty 
Sparrows* nests built round each Stork's nest. Most of the 
former were still unfinished, and though some had already 
received their feather lining, none had eggs in them. Many 
Lesser Kestrels flew out from under the eaves of the village 
houses, but we could find no eggs, and I do not think these 
birds had yet laid. In the afternoon I took the nest of a 
Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandro) with four eggs, 
and late in the evening a Turk showed me the nest, on a 
stony hillside, of a Chukar Partridge (Caccabis chukar), 
containing five fresh eggs. 
The next day. May 12th, I left Appa at 7.30 a.m., and, 
passing Aidin at midday, arrived at Balachik at 1 o'clock. 
I was now on my way to a large lake and swamp near 
the mouth of the Meander river, where my friends in 
Bournabat had told me that various kinds of Herons and 
numerous species of water-fowl, including wild Swans, were 
accustomed to breed. Mr. E. W- had given me a 
letter to a Greek, living at a village called Sakizbounou, who 
said he would be able to get men to help me to explore the 
marsh. I had to go by rail to a place called Sokia, where 
is a liquorice factory belonging to an English company, 
and from there ride or drive to the lake. On reaching 
Balachik I found I bad to wait four hours for the train to 
Sokia, so I went out nesting among the gardens and 
orchards in the neighbourhood. Birds, however, seemed 
very scarce, and I found only two Goldfinches' nests, the 
one with four, and the other with five eggs, in a garden 
near the station-buildings. On arriving at Sokia at 6 p.m., 
the Greek station-master, who spoke English very well, and 
to whom I also had a letter of introduction, said he did not 
think I would be able to get on to Sakizbounou that night, 
but promised to get either a carriage of some sort or riding- 
horses to take me and my two servants (Demetrius and a 
Turk) there the first thing the next morning. Later in the 
evening I walked up to the liquorice factory with the 
station-master and was introduced to Mr. B, H-, 
