413 
1921 .] of Tunisia and Algeria. 
of glass. Temacin and Zaouia are well worth a visit, as they 
are purely Saharan villages of very considerable interest. 
They give one a splendid idea of what a Saharan oasis really 
is like. Arab life and customs are here quite untouched by 
French influence or tourists, which can not be said of Biskra 
or even of Touggourt. Birds were very scarce in Temacin 
and Zaouia, with the exception of one or two White Wagtails, 
and Palm-Doves, which were numerous, walking about on 
the flat roofs of the mud-built houses and also in the streets. 
A wonderful view of the desert is obtained from the minaret 
of the Mosque at Temacin (Plate V. fig. 2), the immense 
dunes lying between Touggourt and El Oued being plainly 
visible, while three sheets of water appear not so very 
far away. 
After a journey such as this into the desert, the bird-life 
at Biskra strikes one as being remarkably plentiful—Siskins, 
Blue-Tits, Saharan Buntings *, Blackbirds t, Hoopoes, 
Warblers, Wagtails, Swallows, Martins, Sparrows, and 
Palm-Doves enlivening the oasis, not to speak of the 
Wheatears, Chats, and innumerable Larks which can be 
found in the surrounding desert within ten minutes' walk 
of the principal hotels. It was therefore with great regret 
that we finally left Biskra on the 24th of March for the town 
of Algiers. Crossing the plain of El Outaia, two Cranes and 
a Black Kite were seen, the former evidently on passage, 
but the latter breeds in the neighbourhood. An even better 
view of the Gorge of El Kantara is obtained when ap¬ 
proaching it from the south, the remarkable folds in the 
strata of the hills to the west of the gorge arresting the 
attention from a long distance : again no Vultures were in 
sight, but fourteen Irby’s Ravens were wheeling in great 
circles overhead. As we climbed once more into the wild 
country lying immediately north of the gorge, the moun¬ 
tains were lit up by a magnificent sunset and their barren 
slopes turned to gold and red and purple, a desolate but 
grand panorama impossible to describe. To what a different 
* Ember,iza striolata sahari. 
t Turdus mernla mauritanicus. 
