56 Mr. J. I. S. Wliitakcr on two 



the cud of Marcli it was no longer to be met -with tliere, 

 and I tlien found it and obtained speciraens on Monte 

 AsjH-o, in tlie ]\iadonian range of mountains, at an altitude 

 of about 1000 metres above sea-level. The Monte Aspro 

 woods, which consist almost entirely of deciduous oak, 

 with an undergrowth of bracken and other ferns, are re- 

 markably fine, several of the trees being veritable giants. 

 Owing, however, to the fact of the district being some- 

 what inaccessible, it is but little known to the ordinary 

 tourist travelling in Sicily, and few visitors to the island 

 have any idea of the existence of these mountain-forests, 

 which in extent and beauty rival those of more northern 

 latitudes. According to historians, the greater part of the 

 mountainous region of Sicily was once clothed w^ith such 

 primeval woods, which the ruthless hand of man has gra- 

 dually swept away and reduced to their present relatively 

 insignificant proportions. 



During the first fortnight of April I obtained further 

 specimens of A. sicula from Monte Aspro; but by the middle 

 of that month comparatively few of the birds were to be 

 met with there, and by the end of it they seemed to have 

 entirely left the locality and to have moved to some higher 

 woods on the same range of mountains. Here, I feel 

 sure, they must have settled down for the breeding-season, 

 althougli my collector failed to find any of their nests, nor 

 indeed did he meet with the birds themselves on a subsequent 

 visit which he paid to the neighbourhood about a month 

 later. During the month of June, however, I sent him to 

 another district lying to the east of Monte Aspro, but 

 still in the Madonian or, more properly, the Nebrodian 

 range of movmtains; and here he found A. sicula com- 

 paratively numerous, and was able to secure specimens of 

 fully-grown young as well as of adult birds. He also found 

 two nests, both containing half-fledged young birds, which 

 Avere probably of the second brood. According to my 

 collector's report, the nests were placed in the forks of olive- 

 trees, at a height of about eight feet from the ground, and 

 were domed at the top. The last-mentio)icd district, which 



