24 Lord Lilford's Cruise in the Mediterranean. 



our stay being generally squally, wet, and cold, we could not 

 do much; but I visited the University Museum, and made 

 the acquaintance of Professor Doderlein, who gave me a 

 great deal of interesting ornithological information. The 

 local collections are very interesting; and here I had the 

 pleasure of seeing three fine adult specimens of Larus 

 audouini, all killed near Palermo, and four genuine Sicilian 

 specimens of my retiring friend the Francolin, killed at 

 various times, but all before 1870. 



Professor Doderlein had lately returned from a visit to the 

 Island of Pantellaria, where he found Sylvia sarda in great 

 abundance. I believe, from information obtained from the Pro- 

 fessor, that Sicily is certainly the headquarters of the Hemi- 

 pode {Turnix sylvatica) in Europe, as he told me, and states in 

 his recently published work on the ornithology of Sicily, 

 that he had often shot from ten to fifteen specimens in one 

 day in the neighbourhood of Alicata, Girgenti, and Sciacca. 

 I certainly never heard of a similar abundance in any part of 

 Spain. 



We left Palermo May 15th, and had a rough and baffling 

 passage to Cagliari, where we arrived on the morning of 

 May 18th. A great many birds visited us on the 17th. At 

 one time on that day we had a Woodchat {Lanius rufus), 

 a Swift [Cypselus apus), a Wheatear [Saxicola oenanthe) , 

 a Wood- Warbler {Phyllopneuste sibilatrix) , several Garden- 

 Warblers {Sylvia hortensis), a Redstart {Ruticilla phceni- 

 cura), a few Turtle Doves, one Martin {Hirundo urbica) and 

 some dozen Swallows {Hirundo rustica), all on board together. 

 The Doves were decidedly the most weary of the party. 

 I examined the Swallows very closely in hopes of finding 

 Hirundo rufula, but without success, which I do not regret, 

 as my feelings would have been very mixed between the wish 

 to preserve a rare bird and the cruel want of hospitality to 

 a tired and defenceless traveller, who claimed British pro- 

 tection on the high seas. 



Cagliari, a place dear to my memory from the excellent 

 snort I have enjoyed in its immediate neighbourhood, looked 



