2 Lord Lilford's Cruise in the Mediterranean. 



accurate powers of observation and ardour in the cause 

 European ornithologists must ever be greatly indebted, and 

 so much has been written by another of our fraternity, Mr, 

 Howard Saunders, that I hardly considered myself justified 

 in asking for space in ' The Ibis ' to record things of Spain. 

 I may, however, mention that during one of the above-men- 

 tioned visits to Spain I had the satisfaction of discovering an 

 undescribed species of bird, viz. CalandreUa bcetica, Dresser, 

 ' Birds of Europe,' and of thoroughly investigating the 

 breeding-habits of the Spanish Imperial Eagle {Aquila ad- 

 alberti), recently specifically separated from the Eastern 

 species {Aquila mogilnik). I may add that there is still 

 plenty of ground in old Spain for enterprising naturalists ; and 

 let us hope that when a Spanish monarch is once more on 

 the throne of that glorious but unhappy country, and things 

 become more settled therein, some of our increasing flock of 

 Ibises may migrate thither, and reap a rich harvest. This 

 may be a thing of " manana ;'' but, as the natives say, " Ojala 

 Dios ! " It is my purpose in this paper to relate my prin- 

 cipal ornithological observations during a yacht-cruise in the 

 Mediterranean, extending from the end of December 1873, 

 till the end of June 1874, and to show how much may be done 

 comparatively near home even by a naturalist so incapaci- 

 tated by lameness as myself. 



I despatched my yacht, the ' Zara,' R. Y. S., from England 

 for Toulon about the end of October 1873 ; and we started 

 from England, via France, about the middle of the following 

 month to join her at the latter place. After being detained 

 by gales of wind at the North Foreland, taking in stores at 

 Plymouth, and being again driven back and detained at 

 Falmouth for more than a week by a furious south-wester, 

 she reached Gibraltar November 16th, after an eight days' 

 run from Falmouth, and was detained at Gibraltar for three 

 days by that curse of 'Hhe Rock,'' a furious " levanter." After 

 encountering very bad weather and calms, and being obliged 

 to take shelter in Port Mahon for nearly a fortnight, she 

 eventually reached Toulon, where the authorities kindly put 

 her in quarantine for three days because the Captain had not 



