Mediterranean Ornithology. 271 



stormy, with a heavy sea running from the south-west. My 

 son shot three of the larger Shearwaters from our deck. The 

 weather moderated during the night, and about 11 a.m. on 

 the morning of April 28th we started under steam and 

 steered for the Straits of Bonifacio. A slight N.W. breeze 

 induced us to make sail on rounding the northern end of 

 GigliOj but this soon failed us, and about 4 p.m. we ran into 

 the^heaviest dead swell that we had ever encountered in the 

 Mediterranean ; this rolled in from the south-west, with a 

 slight cross-sea from the north, and being unable to make 

 any way against this combination, we bore up under the lee 

 of Monte Christo ; but soon after midnight a gale came down 

 upon us from the N.W., and the island affording us no shelter, 

 we ran back through a fierce cross-sea to Port Ercole 

 and anchored. Making another start about 8 a.m. on the 

 morning of April 30th under sail, with a slight southerly 

 breeze, we saw a large flight of Cranes going eastward. A 

 tired Swallow came aboard of us during the day, and several 

 more of these birds and a Quail visited us during the night. 

 The breeze failed us at about 8 a.m. of May 1st, at some ten 

 miles from the entrance to the straits, so we got up steam 

 again, and passing the islands of Razzoli, Santa Maria, Budella, 

 and Spargi, anchored in the roads of Maddalena close to the 

 town of that name, about midday. A strong easterly wind 

 sprang up as soon as we were amongst these islets, and a 

 Harrier, which we took to be Circus cineraceus, was all but 

 blown foul of our funnel. The town of Maddalena is in- 

 habited by a colony of Genoese and Corsican descent, who 

 decline to be considered Sardinians, and call themselves 

 ''islanders," as they undoubtedly are. We rowed off to 

 the landing-place, and were immediately surrounded by 

 a civil but inquisitive crowd, who were much amused by 

 our leaving the matter of supply to our steward, and 

 cross-questioning every likely-looking lad as to their ac- 

 quaintance with a Gull with coral beak and black legs. 

 We could extract nothing positive on this subject or any 

 other of zoological interest, the fixed idea in the minds 

 of these islanders beinff that we had come to visit General 



