14 The Study of Wild Birds 
Knox's ‘ Ornithological Rambles in Sussex,” now, alas! sadly out 
of date. It gives most fascinating pictures of wild bird life in 
southern England in the ‘“ forties.” 
In 1874 I went with my regiment to Gibraltar and remained 
there until 1880. In southern Spain and the coast of Morocco 
opposite I found unlimited field for ornithological research, the 
limits being the difficulties of obtaining sufficient leave of absence 
and deficiency of the sinews of war to conduct expeditions, 
for travel both in Spain and in Morocco is a somewhat expensive 
matter. 
It was at Gibraltar that I first made the acquaintance of my 
father’s old friend, the late Lord Lilford, who came out in his 
yacht on an ornithological expedition to the marismas of the 
Guadalquivir. Here, too, in 1876 I also first met the late Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel L. H. Irby whose book on the ‘Ornithology 
of the Straits cf Gibraltar” was published about the same time. 
From the day we first met, and for twenty-eight years subsequently 
until his death in 1905, Colonel Irby and I were constant com- 
panions in innumerable birding expeditions. In addition to his 
great knowledge of birds, he was an excellent botanist and an 
expert on butterflies, hence our trips together were unusually full 
of interest. 
In 1894 he brought out a second edition of the ‘ Ornithology 
of the Straits of Gibraltar” in which were incorporated the notes 
I had made during the preceding twenty years and a number of 
illustrations from my photographs and sketches. 
It was in 1879 that the late Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria 
arrived at Gibraltar in his yacht, the A/77amar, bent on an ornitho- 
logical expedition to Spain. At the time I was a_ subaltern 
doing regimental duty and was not a little surprised to receive 
an invitation from the Governor, Lord Napier of Magdala, to 
meet at dinner His Imperial Highness, of whose ornithological 
