Lord Lilford's Cruise in the Mediterranean. 33 



specimen only did we find a leg of some small bird^ apparently 

 a Wheatear. When I first saw these Hawks flying in and ont 

 of the rocks on Vacca^ and continually uttering their feeble 

 cry, I imagined we were going to reap a rich harvest of their 

 eggs ; but I can state positively that at the time of our visit 

 they had not begun to lay ; and from information given me 

 by some Neapolitan and Genoese coral-fishers of Carlo Forte, 

 who are in the habit of landing on Toro and Vacca to dry 

 their nets and harry the Gulls^ nests, I am of opinion that 

 August and September are their breeding-months. I believe 

 that Lindermayer and Dr. Kriiper found this to be the case 

 in the Cyclades ; and I am strengthened in my opinion by 

 having some years ago received two young of the species in 

 question alive from Mogador, about the middle of October, 

 which still retained a considerable quantity of the nestling- 

 down. The coral-fishers aforesaid, whom we found weather- 

 bound in the Gulf of San Antioco, assured me that September 

 was the month when they found the young birds, and that 

 they were excellent eating. 



I may here mention that I bought a living specimen of 

 this Falcon in July last, of Castang in Leadenhall Market, 

 which I deposited in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, 

 where I trust it did not suffer from the late terrible explosion 

 on the canal hard by. This bird came from Mogador ; and 

 besides that locality and Dragonera, oft" the coast of Majorca 

 (mentioned by Mr. Saunders), the Cyclades, Toro, and Vacca, 

 I am informed of another breeding-locality of this Falcon 

 in the Mediterranean, somewhat remote from us, but by no 

 means difficult of access. 



The coral-fishers, on my landing among their boats drawn 

 up on the sand close to our anchorage, and inquiring for 

 birds and beasts, brought me two young Gulls alive in the 

 down, which at once struck me as too small even for newly- 

 hatched Herring-Gulls, of which species we had several alive 

 on board the yacht. I asked the owner where he had found 

 them, and he immediately replied " On Toro." " Where- 

 abouts ? " and he proceeded to describe the exact spot, not 

 knowing that we had been there, and said that these were the 



SER. III. VOL. V. D 



