244 BRITISH BIRDS. 



terrifying to it) sights, sounds and disturbances of a steam- 

 ship's decks ? 



Next day, the 25th, only one Chaffinch was observed. 



No more land-birds were observed till the SOtli October 

 with the exception of a solitary Goldfinch which flew round 

 the ship and disappeared as we were steaming along the S.E. 

 coast of Spain and heading for Marseilles. From Marseilles 

 to the Straits of Messina we had a strong head wind. On 

 the 30th when S.E. of the Straits about Lat. 36.50 N. Long. 

 18.27 E. the following birds were noted on board : — A Song- 

 Thrush ; a Robin ; a White Wagtail {Motacilla alba) ; a Quail 

 [Colurnix communis) and a young Peregrine Falcon {Falco 

 peregrinus). The Peregrine was desperately hungry and did 

 not take long to select a victim from this list. His choice 

 rested on the Quail. I did not see the actual kill, but have 

 no doubt that the stoop was made when the unfortunate 

 Quail was flying round the sliip. The Falcon was very shy 

 and kept to the mast and shroud-heads. He perched with 

 difficulty and proceeded to break up his kill on the wooden 

 fore-cross-stay of the Marconi wires running between the 

 -masts, but the wobbling of this unsteady perch very nearly 

 made him drop his prey, so he shifted to a steadier perch on a 

 block near the crosstrees, where he had his meal in comfort. 

 After this, and evidently refreshed for his onward journey 

 to the African coast, he disappeared towards sundown. 



By 10 a.m. the next morning, the 31st, we were off the 

 S.E. corner of Crete, and during the day the following birds 

 were noted : — A White Wagtail ; a Robin (by a passenger) ; 

 a Sky- Lark ; a Chaffinch (by a passenger) ; a Song-Thrush ; and 

 a Sparrow-Hawk (Accipiter nisus). As in the case of the 

 Peregrine, the Sparrow-Hawk was not long to take advantage of 

 the food-supply to hand, and after a short rest on the davit- 

 stays and awnings proceeded to give chase to the Sky-Lark. 

 The quarry in this case after being chased round the ship 

 took refuge under the feet of a lady sitting on the deck, but 

 the Hawk a\ as not to be denied and following close snatched 

 up the unfortunate Lark before the lady could rescue it, and 

 much to her indignation and that of several other ladies 

 close by who witnessed the deed, and whose sympathies were 

 very naturally all with the victim, the Hawk retired with 

 and devoured its prey on the edge of the awning, where I was 

 able to get within a yard of and watch it. Later and towards 

 dusk I saw it stoop at another small bird near the ship, 

 which as I subsequently learnt it also secured. 



Next day, the 31st, when in the vicinity of the mouth of 

 the Nile, I saw two Niglitjars (Caprimulgus europceus) on the 



