of Italy and Spain. 397 



I was unable to stop at the great marshes of Lentini, about 

 halfway between Catania and Syracuse ; but a friend told me 

 that in all his experience he had never come across their equal 

 for Ducks and Snipes. Porphyrio veterum and Fuligula rujina 

 were hawked about Catania every day ; but the latter were all 

 females, and only one much damaged male was brought to 

 me. Anas boschas, Fuligula rufina, and F.nyroca are the three 

 commonest breeding Ducks in Sicily. In the winter the Gad- 

 wall and Pochard are as abundant as any. All the above men- 

 tioned are also found in the marshes of the Anapo, near Syra- 

 cuse; and I think that the sportsman and naturalist could not 

 well have better winter quarters than the last most interest- 

 ing city. There is a fair local museum there, containing, 

 amongst other things, Syrrhaptes paradoxus and Otis houhara, 

 killed there. The bay was full of Pochards, Divers, Great 

 Crested Grebes, and Gulls, especially Lams minutus, L. melano- 

 cephalus, and L. ridibundus. The last, which left on the 3rd 

 or 4th of March, had scarcely a sign of the hood, whereas L. nie- 

 lanocephalus had completely assumed the black head. L. gelastes 

 I frequently observed on the Sicilian coast. 



From Sicily to Malta, where I had the pleasure of seeing 

 Mr. C. W. Wright's collection ; and in his company I passed 

 many agreeable hours : but to his ample Catalogue of the Birds 

 of Malta I can add nothing ; so I pass at once to Gibraltar, where 

 I arrived on the 17th of March. What a change from the com- 

 paratively nonaviferous Italy ! As we drove out to the Monkey 

 Battery, Kestrels were hovering along the rocks, Black Chats 

 [Saxicola cachinnans) were making love in their own quarrel- 

 some manner, the Blue Thrushes, also pairing, were chasing 

 one another about the rocks ; over the sea an unfortunate Osprey 

 was being bullied by a pair of Ravens, whilst near the signal 

 station a Bonelli's Eagle or two might be seen every few mi- 

 nutes. Amongst the trees of the promenade our own common 

 Blackbirds, Thrushes, Bedbreasts, and Sparrows enlivened the 

 scene, whilst Sylvia melanocephala scolded in every clump of 

 pines, and the " bu-bu " of the Hoopoe still reminded one of 

 the south. A week on the mainland of Italy would not give 

 you so many birds as this two hours' drive. 



