278 Lord Lilford — Notes on 



After this long digression I must return to the " Straits." 

 After shooting a Rock Dove or two from tlie rocks near the 

 Falcon's nest, we bore away to the south-west, coasting a 

 promontory of the mainland on the eastern side of the Gulf 

 of Trana ; but finding .nothing there but two Audouin's Gull, 

 which kept out of shot, we returned and landed on the eastern 

 side of the promontory in Agincourt Roads, at the spot where 

 the telegraph cable from Maddalenae merges on the mainland. 

 Here we found nothing but a profusion of a very beautiful 

 and sweetly-scented white lily, quite new to our inexperienced 

 eyes, but probably well known to botanists. We then went 

 off to a sandy beach on the mainland at the head of the road- 

 stead, and explored a little marshy stream which there runs 

 into the sea. The tamarisks Avere swarming with Turtle 

 Doves, and we noticed many Water-hens, one Mallard, one 

 Marsh Harrier, many Common Brown Linnets, a few Song 

 Thrushes, Corn Buntings, and a fine adult Purple Heron, 

 which fell to my son^s gun. On our return we were caught 

 in one of the fierce wind-squalls so frequent in these localities, 

 and fovmd that the yacht had dragged her anchor, and drifted 

 into a somewhat precarious position ; however, by getting up 

 steam and with a hawser ashore and two anchors out, we 

 made her snug for the night, and rode out a very violent 

 north-westerly gale. The next day was too stormy for boat- 

 work ; two of our party, having borrowed an animal that its 

 owner called " a most famous dog of chase/^ went ashore on 

 Maddalena to search for Quails, but returned for luncheon 

 without having found one of that species, the bag containing 

 only a few specimens of a yellow Wagtail {Motacilla flava), 

 Common Whitethroat, and a Stonechat. I observed several 

 Alpine Swifts hawking high over the town, and in the after- 

 noon we found two empty nests of Blue Rock Thrush amongst 

 the rocks on the northern side of San Stefano, close to our 

 anchorage. Some goatherds on that island, however, were 

 more fortunate, and brought to us a very perfect nest, con- 

 taining five fresh eggs of '' Solitario,^^ as they call the last- 

 named species ; this nest consists entirely of fine roots and 

 fibres. On the morning of May 6th the same boys brought 



