AT MALTA TO AND FROM INDIA, G 



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the birds brought in aro at once plucked; every bird that flies is 

 slaughtered, when possible, and brought to the market ; and, of course, 

 during the spring and autumn migrations these are in great variety. 

 Any small bird is a Bnccafico, aud though I have spent some years 

 in the Mediterranean, off and on, I yet have not a clear idea what a 

 Bcccafico proper is, but I believe that it is the Garden Warbler (8. 

 salicariu). A curious ornithological dainty, which the Maltese 

 are especially fond of, is a portion of the back of a hen, with the 

 adherent well-developed ovaries. 



I obtained once in the market a specimen of a Stone Curlew, and 

 on dissection the whole of the stomach cavity was filled with one 

 large snail (Helix vermiadata). This bird's gullet must have been 

 most distensible to have got it down. Many birds are brought to 

 market alive. Amongst others, the Yellow Wagtail (M'.flava). This 

 bird is easier tamed than any other bird I know. The Maltese clip 

 their wings and keep them in their shops and kitchens iu order to 

 catch flies. One I had within five days of capture would come to 

 me and feed out of my hand, and whenever I was skinning a bird, he 

 would always come on to the table and catch the flies, which always, 

 of course, were present in numbers. On one occasion he got a little 

 tow entangled in his claws; so I had to hunt him down, catch him 

 and disentangle it, which would have frigliteued any other bird, but 

 when I put this wagtail down, he just shook himself and went on 

 pursuing flies on my table as usual. There is a fair collection of 

 birds in the Museum of. the University. To view this all you have 

 got to do is to walk inside the University building, which is 

 close to the market, and ask permission from the Professor of 

 Natural Science or any one else. There is a MS. catalogue, but 

 some of the birds, notably a Lark or two, are incorrectly labelled. 

 The Isabelline Nightjar (0. wgyptius) should not be overlooked, as 

 only few European killed specimens are in existence. 



There is also a collection of land shells there, but I forget 

 whether the Maltese shells are separated, but I think so. The land 

 and fresh water molluscs of the Maltese Group though small (not 

 much above forty) are most interesting, six, viz., II. melitensis, Fev., 

 E.Sfraiti, Pfeiffer, Clausilia scalaris, Pfeiffer, C. mamotica, Gulia, 

 Physa melitensis, Ben., Paludina melitensis, Ben., being peculiar to 

 the Group. 



The characteristic fossils of the ?vJalta formations are Echino- 

 derms, and probably a collection can be seen here. Another object 



