14 Lord Lilford's Cruise in the Mediterranean. 



where we remained till the 16th of March, almost entirely 

 confined to our vessel by continual storms of rain, thunder, 

 wind, and snow. I observed some Sandwich Terns {Sterna 

 cantiaca) and the first House-Martins of the season on the 

 1 2th about the Faro. 



We sailed again, March 16th, for Taormina, and anchored 

 in the bay at 1 p.m., seeing on our way several little Gulls 

 [Larus minutus) , some large flocks of Cranes passing north- 

 wards high over head, and a few Purple Herons going in the 

 same direction, and on the rocks about Taormina a few Rock- 

 Doves, Kestrels, a Kingfisher, some Blue Thrushes, and two 

 Black Redstarts. We went on to Catania the next day, seeing 

 nothing remarkable but a flight of ten Vultures crossing to 

 the Italian coast at an immense height up in the clouds. The 

 scenery of the Straits of Messina and the Sicilian coast is 

 magnificent. Etna, which I had only seen before at a dis- 

 tance of some seventy miles, was covered with snow from the 

 summit quite halfway down to the sea ; and the contrast of 

 the dazzling white with the black lava-fields and the nch 

 green of the lower slopes and maritime strip produced a most 

 superb efiect, and put the undeniably beautiful Bay of Naples 

 and Vesuvius quite into the shade. At Catania, a very plea- 

 sant, cheerful, well-built town, with a good market, we re- 

 mained till March the 30th, making many excursions to the 

 Pantani, some very extensive marshes at the mouth of the 

 river Simeto, and another stream which runs into the sea 

 some miles further to the south. These marshes are a com- 

 plete Paradise for the ornithologist, and in the winter afford 

 unrivalled Duck- and Snipe-shooting. They may be easily 

 reached by road from Catania; in fact, within two miles 

 of that town there are fine Snipy-looking meadows and 

 swamps on both sides of the road ; but our usual plan was 

 to get away in the yacht's cutter pretty early in the morning 

 and sail or row off" to the mouth of the small river above men- 

 tioned, where there is a bar with very little water, pull a short 

 distance up the stream to a sort of pothouse kept by the 

 lessee of the fisheries, and there take punts to explore the 

 reed-jungles of the lagoons. Before arriving at the mouth of 



