18 Lord Lilford^s Cruise in the Mediterranean. 



water^ I should say, perhaps, twelve or fifteen miles in length, 

 by some five in breadth in the widest part, is surrounded 

 by good Snipe-marshes and thick reed-brakes. Its whole 

 surface, as far as the eye could reach, was thickly dotted 

 with birds, principally Coots {Fulica atra) ; but there were 

 also many Ducks of the various species above mentioned ; and 

 here I met with the common Starling [Sturnus vulgaris) for 

 the first and only time in Sicily. We found a sprinkling of 

 Snipes, but they were exceedingly wild. I saw a large Soli- 

 tary Snipe here, and the doctor afterwards killed one of this 

 species at the Pantani ; but it was not yet as common as it 

 becomes in these regions on passage later in the spring. 



We sailed from Catania on March 30th, ran down to the 

 mouth of the river, and went ashore to shoot in the Pantani. 

 On this occasion some of my crew killed about thirty snakes, 

 principally Tropidonotus natrix, and a few of the fine dark 

 variety of Zamenis atrovirens, known as Z. carbonaria. We 

 laid ofi" the mouth of the river in a dead calm all night, and, 

 landing early to shoot, sent the yacht round to Agosta. 

 After a long and rather profitless day on the Pantani, we 

 hired mules and rode over an undulating fertile country to 

 Lentini, about seven miles ; and after an immense amount of 

 bargaining and expostulations with our muleteers and a crowd 

 of filthy and rapacious ruffians in a dirty locanda, and a meal 

 of cold tench, we at length procured a carriage, and drove 

 through a beautiful country with a brilliant moon eighteen 

 miles to Agosta, where we arrived about midnight, and got 

 on board the yacht just as our cutter (which we had left at 

 the Pantani, to find its way round to Agosta) hove in sight. 

 Agosta is a ruinous, wretched town ; but the bay is very fine, 

 and might be made into one of the best harbours in the 

 Mediterranean by erecting a breakwater on the Hybla shoal. 



We sailed at about 11 the next morning for Syracuse, 

 and with a light breeze ahead beat into that port at about 

 4 P.M. An interpreter came off to us as soon as we had 

 obtained pratique, and was not a little astonished at my 

 telling him to send out the youth of Syracuse to collect bats, 

 snakes, and lizards for me. He, however, complied with my 



