290 



On the Ornithology of the Mediterranean. 



seen them floating in flocks of nine or ten, witli their wings 

 elevated to catch the bi'eeze, after the manner of Swans. 



113. Common Cormorant. {Car-bo cormoranus.) 

 Plentiful in the Mediterranean. On the morning of Decem- 

 ber 6th, when Duck-shooting at Petala, on the coast of Greece, 

 I was astonished to see a large flock of these birds, I should 

 think not less than 2000 in number, pass close over my head as 

 I lay concealed, and fly away to the south-east. I watched them 

 till the wavy lines looked like a patch of lace against the hues of 

 the morning sky, when they disappeared over the hills. 



I conclude my notes with a list of birds I have observed at 

 sea: — 



Birds. 



Meadow-Pipit 



Red-legged Falcon 



Wood- Wren 



Redstart 



Two Pipits 



Greenfinch 



Robin 



Snipe 



Turtle-Dove 



White-collared Fly- 

 catcher 



Goat-sucker 



Sand-Martin . . . 



Hen Thrush 



Two Robins 



Hen Robin 



Yellow Wagtail 

 Short-eared Owl 

 Sparrow- Hawk 



Hoopoe 



Turtle-Doves ... 

 Storks 



N. or S. 

 migration. 



North 

 North 

 North 

 North 

 North 

 North 

 North 

 North 

 North 



North 

 North 

 North 

 South 

 South 

 South 

 South 

 South 

 South 

 South 

 South 

 South 



Direction of 

 Wind. 



E. by S. 



Easterly 



S.E. 



S.S.E. 



E. bv S. 



N.W. 



N. -westerly 



Calm 



W. 



Calm 



N.N.W. 



W. 



N.W. 



N. -westerly 



N. by E. 



W. 



N.W. by W. 



N.W. 



s.w. 



S.E. 

 W. 



Distance and name 

 of nearest land. 



Sardinia 85' 

 Malta 32' 

 Sardinia 21' 

 Sardinia 10' 

 Sardinia 85' 

 Sardinia 20' 

 Sardinia 30' 

 Malta 10' 

 Greece 135' 



Sardinia 50' 

 Greece 12' 

 Nearest land 110' 

 Zante 105' 

 Zante 105' 

 Sicily 55' 

 Cyprus 50' 

 Zante 100' 

 Corfu 100' 

 Syria 25' 

 Malta 240' 

 Candia 25' 



Date. 



April 19 

 May 8 

 April 21 

 April 17 

 April 19 

 April 12 

 April 11 

 May 9 

 May 25 



April 20 

 May 27 

 May 25 

 Oct. 10 

 Oct. 1 

 Sept. 12 

 Aug. 27 

 Oct. 16 

 Oct. 16 

 Aug. 25 

 Sept. 15 

 Sept. 11 



I need not say that this is but a very small part of the num- 

 ber of birds that I have seen ; but these are enough to illustrate 

 the general principle on which I have observed them to travel. 

 The nearest land put down is very often not the land that they 

 have departed from. For instance, the Turtle-Dove going to the 

 north, with Greece 135 miles off", had evidently come from Africa 

 — a much longer distance. 



