of Italy and Spain. 395 



Roman ruins ; and along the Appian Way the Stone-Chat is 

 very abundant, being considered too small for " caccia^^ by the 

 natives. Rooks and Hooded Crows are abundant in the Cam- 

 pagna ; and I once heard and saw a small flock of our Choughs 

 {Pyrrhocorax graculus). Jackdaws are numerous in the city, and 

 a small club held their daily gatherings in front of my windows 

 on the Corso. In Spain I never saw one about habitations, but 

 only far away in the wooded cotos. Black game {Tetrao 

 fetrix) and Pheasants were frequently to be seen in the market ; 

 but they came by rail from a distance. The Red Partridges in 

 the market were all Caccabis saxatilis. Perdix cinerea is also 

 brought in, and, even in winter, a few Quails are never wanting. 



In the celebrated mosaic from the Baths of Caracalla, a 

 Barbary Partridge (C petrosa) is represented ; so that bird 

 was probably considered rare by ancient Romans. Woodcock, 

 Snipe and Jacksnipe, Lapwing, and Golden Plover were abun- 

 dant ; and occasionally a Curlew, Heron, or Bittern made its 

 appearance on the stalls, amongst Bean-Geese {Anser segetum), 

 Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Tufted Duck, Pintail, Pochard, Scaup and 

 Gadwall, brought in from the Pontine marshes. One female 

 Smew and one Anser erytkropus (Linn.) testified to the hard- 

 ness of the winter, the most severe experienced in Italy for many 

 years. Larus ridibundus and L. argentatus, the latter especially 

 abundant on the Tiber, were the only Gulls I observed alive . 

 but L. minutus is not uncommon in autumn and spring. 



Naples and its Museum of Natural History do not call for 

 any special remark ; but at Sorrento I was shown a vilely stuffed 

 specimen shot near the town, of what the owner called " Gran 

 Duca," but it was really a Bubo ascalaphus. 



At the Island of Capri, where I remained some time, I saw 

 few birds, excepting a pair of Peregrines, Rock-Martins, and 

 Herring-Gulls ; but it is a place for Quails on their passage. 

 The boatmen talk of a wonderful little bird, only to be seen on 

 the rocks near the Blue Grotto, which I fancy must be Ticho- 

 droma muraria, although their description does not tally well 

 with that of the Wall-Creeper. 



My next halting-place was Palermo, where there is an excel- 

 lent Museum, presided over by a most enthusiastic naturalist, 



2 E 2 



