274 Pictures of Bird Life 



At Gibraltar I waited ten days before the yaeht alTi^ed, 

 being delayed by bad weather coming from Cyprus. During 

 the whole of this time I applied in vain for permission 

 to photograph at the adjutant's office. In spite of repeated 

 promises I never got it, and had to lea\'e without ]ia\'ing 

 had a chance of doing many things that I wanted to. 



Swarms of Kestrels clustered like bees up and down 

 the rugged face of the stujDcndous cliff of the north front. 

 I was never tired of watching them soaring o\'erhead and 

 listening to their wild, chattering cries. It is possible to 

 climb up the sloping foot of the cliff, and there I could 

 sit and see them hovering or perching on the ledges and 

 crevices of the perpendicular Kock above. In the holes and 

 crannies were many pigeons, and towards e\'ening the Swifts 

 would come tumbling out, to wheel around the narrow 

 streets, uttering their weird screams. The Kestrels, I imagine, 

 must feed largely on beetles, no other food being plentiful 

 enough to .support such immense mnnbers of them. 



In the beautiful public gardens on the south side were 

 many familiar English birds, whose notes came at first as 

 a surprise from amid the luxuriant tangle of semi-tropical 

 foliage — from date-palms, oranges, ])ananas, pepper-trees, and 

 many others, festooned witli strange climbing plants, whose 

 brilliant flowers fill the air with sweet perfume and attract 

 numbers of butterflies. 



From the parade-ground above these gardens tlie great 

 bare Rock rears its imposing height from tlie belt of pines 

 and low brushwood wliich clothes the lower slopes. Below 



