2IO MEDITERRANEAN NOTES 



found a great flat with some pools of water, shallow, 

 and full of fish, but not many birds about. The captain 

 went right away to the westwards and reports a great 

 salt lake near the sea on other side the island but very 

 few birds. Ruiz took a stroll on the hillside and shot 

 a few small birds. T. hung about the pools and shot 

 a fine osprey. We lunched on the beach and proceeded 

 round a rocky point where we disturbed a raven from 

 her nest. Landed on a sand-hilly spot with strong 

 growth of juniper and lentiscus. Found great salt pans 

 again. T. and Ruiz shot a few birds and I saw one 

 which utterly puzzled me. 



" Seeing some respectable-looking youths cruising 

 wistfully round the yacht, I invited them on board 

 and showed them over her. They gave me a good 

 deal of information on the zoological capabilities of 



ID 

 viza. 



'■^ May iiih. These boys say that there are 

 martens and genets in the island, no foxes or weasels 

 or other animal dafiim ; hares very scarce ; rabbits 

 abundant ; a great many bats of various sizes, some of 

 them white. They told me that many gulls breed in the 

 islands of Espandelle and Espalmador, and that when they 

 go ferreting there they bolt from the burrows many 

 birds which they call ' virots ' — shearwaters. These are 

 also caught and eaten by the fishermen in great numbers. 

 They say that there are a great many partridges in Iviza, 

 and in the winter many woodcocks and snipes. The birds 



