176 Mr. Howard Saunders on 



saw a pair of Ravens feeding their young in a nest not forty 

 feet high, I was far too cold to obey my usual instincts and pay 

 them a visit. Vast flocks of Rock-Doves [Columba livia) and 

 Choughs were every moment passing over our heads from their 

 roosting-places in the mountains ; and the two species of the 

 latter were always distinguishable by their note. Crested Larks 

 strutted along the road, scarcely taking the trouble to get out 

 of our way ; and I saw one single Woodpecker, utterly out of 

 place in such an arid spot ; but few birds of prey were visible, 

 until we arrived at Lorca, on the evening of the second day, 

 when we saw several Bonelli's Eagles, which are abundant there. 

 From Lorca to Murcia runs the very fastest diligence in which 

 I ever travelled ; and I was soon established in my old quarters 

 at the baths of Archena. I had fully expected to find the Black 

 Wheatear, Rock-Thrush, and some other birds breeding here ; 

 but all my search was vain, nor could the urchins of the place 

 discover an egg of any kind. I came upon a small colony of 

 Crag-Martins; and the female of a pair I obtained had the 

 belly completely denuded ; but though I spent hours for several 

 days in succession amongst the rocks, I never could find a nest. 

 I obtained my specimens on the 28th of March, and, having 

 completed my treatment, returned to Murcia, where I was sorry 

 to find my friend Dr. Guirao suffering from such severe 

 domestic affliction as utterly to preclude conversation on ordi- 

 nary topics ; I was therefore unable to procure specimens of the 

 Petrel before mentioned, as well as other interesting birds which 

 he had promised me. Every day was now of consequence ; and 

 I got back to Malaga as soon as possible, whence I started on 

 the 9th of April for a village in the Gaitanes range. 



It was quite early in the day when I arrived there ; and hav- 

 ing secured the services of a certain professional hunter named 

 Juan, the finest cragsman (without a rope) I ever saw, we pro- 

 ceeded to examine the cliffs for Vultures' nests. He insisted 

 on my being too early, as the season was fully a month later 

 than usual, and, in proof of this assertion, he pointed out nest 

 after nest of both Cinereous and Egyptian Vultures, all with- 

 out lining, or cama. But the latter were repairing the old 

 nests, and at one point a pair of Bonelli's Eagles were visible j 



