from Mesolonghi and Southern yEtolia. 289 



from the rocks above — a favourite spot for myself and 

 Dr. Kriiper to sit and watch the precipices on one side and the 

 lagoon on the other. The stones themselves were not devoid of 

 interest to an ornithologist, as we had discovered, on the 1st of 

 June, 1859, a nest of the Blue Thrush {Monticola cijaneus) in a hole 

 near the top of the largest stone about 10 feet from the ground. 

 The nest resembled the well-known one of Turdus merula, but was 

 more loosely constructed and shallower. This, however, would 

 arise from the bird having to accommodate itself to the shape of 

 the cavity in which the nest was placed. The eggs are of a pale 

 greenish blue, very delicate, and without any spots. The allied 

 species {M. saxatilis) does not occur so low down as this : it is 

 said to be not uncommon in the higher districts of Greece. On 

 the opposite side of the same stone was a nest of that most 

 eccentric bird, Sitta sijriacu ; it had been repaired once or twice, 

 but at that period was not inhabited. The nest was plastered 

 over the mouth of a small cavity, and, were it not for the little 

 round entrance-hole, would be very difficult to distinguish from 

 the numerous structures of a species of Ant which are thickly 

 stuck over the face of the rock, and at a distance resemble in 

 size and appearance the nest of Sitta syriaca itself. But the 

 greatest curiosity of all was to be seen under a large flat slab 

 which projected enough to afford convenient shelter during a 

 shower of rain. This was a nest of Hirundo rufula, which had 

 been broken at one end and consequently abandoned by the bird. 

 Meanwhile a Nuthatch had come and repaired the damage, 

 possibly with the intention of appropriating the nest. The 

 difference in the workmanship, and to a certain extent in the 

 materials, was very apparent when the two were in juxtaposition. 

 In shape, the nest of hirundo rufula is so different from that of 

 any other European bird, that this proceeding on the part of the 

 Nuthatch was still more extraordinary, 



AVe will, however, dismiss these two birds for awhile, and take 

 a survey through the telescope of the cliffs above us. These 

 consist of the metamorphic limestone common in Greece, and 

 they possess peculiarities which always seem to me to indicate a 

 Raptorial locality. The upper edge is generally very hard, often 

 overhangs a little, and has a bluish-grey tinge, partly the effect 



