242 MEDITERRANEAN NOTES 



spots, and T. shot three of them, and might have shot 

 more, hut I do not wish to exterminate them ; on being 

 disturbed they flew a short distance, and settled on the 

 water in a body- I heard for the first time here their 

 cry, which is something like the anger note ot L. 

 leucoph^us, but not so hoarse, and more plaintive. Our 

 old Trojan and others landed and searched for eggs» 

 but, although they found a few nests, one broken egg- 

 shell was the only result. We cruised round the 

 northern and western sides of Spargi, which are for 

 the most part high and rocky ; saw a good many rock 

 doves, of which T. shot one. We went ofF to Spargiotto, 

 a small island about a mile to the west of Spargi, 

 consisting of immense blocks of granite in the wildest 

 confusion ; here were many rock doves and common 

 buzzards and a pair of ravens, but we could not bag 

 anything ; returned to western side of Spargi. Discovered 

 a falcon's nest in an apparently almost inaccessible hole 

 in high cliff; had an inefl^ectual chase after two young 

 shags, which could not fly ; went back round northern 

 end of Spargi ; lunched in a cove where there is some 

 fresh water ; saw a raven pursued by two kestrels, and two 

 or three ospreys, one of which carried a fish. We found 

 the Audouins at the same spot, and T. shot one more. 

 A further search only resulted in a few broken fragments 

 of egg-shells ; the nests are evidently plundered as fast 

 as the eggs are laid, either by rats, ravens, or pigs, of 

 which there is a herd on the island." 



