MEDITERRANEAN NOTES 163 



plover (^Charadrius). M shot a greenshank, and a 



little ringed-plover in the bay." 



" A/ril -jth. A great concourse of villani on board bringing bats 

 — Rhinolophiis egnoriiim, R. euryale, R. bihastatus, and birds alive — 

 hoopoe, golden plover, spotted crake, the latter of which I kept ; some 

 snakes, of which I kept three Zainenis atrovircns var. carhotiarius, three 

 Goiigylus ocellatus. The lizards seem to like small snails, of which 

 we find any quantity ashore, chiefly on the squill plants. At the 

 Saline very few snipes left. I only shot six jack, two Spanish 

 sparrows, one crested lark. Many kestrels about, F. tinnunculus and 

 F. cenchris. Saw Saxicola eenanthe. Saw an egret (I think Ardea 

 alba). Men ashore with a pair of common kestrels, and some more 

 black snakes (Z. atrovirens). A kite {Milvus regalis), hangs about the 

 shipping in the bay." 



" Jpril loth. Went with M to the Saline, or 



salt pans at the head of the bay ; birdy-looking places, 

 but too many people about for much bird-life. In the 

 afternoon to see the catacombs and old subterranean 

 church, where, they say, St. Paul preached on his stay- 

 here. These catacombs are of immense extent, and not 

 half explored. They are all hewn out of the solid rock, 

 I suppose by the early Greek colonists, but were afterwards 

 used by the Christian inhabitants. 



" At the SaHne, a marshy flat to the proper 

 right of the Anapo river, intersected with streams and 

 ditches, we found two or three snipes, a good number 

 of little ringed-plover (^-Egialitis curonica), of which we 

 shot five, some common sandpipers {T. hypoleucus), of 

 which we shot four, two snipes, and one spotted crake 



