Ornithologist and clergyman H. B. Tristram (1822-1906), who became both a Fellow of the Royal Society and Canon residentiary of Durham, began his literary career with an account of his ventures into the desert of Algeria, where he had travelled seeking a salubrious winter climate. This subsequent book, published in 1865, narrates his journey through Palestine in 1863-4. An engaging account, written for a popular audience, it combines detailed observations...