188 Bishop, Birds in the Markets of Southern Europe. [April 



gives Signer Nigro Lico as quoting "It is estimated that in all 

 Italy the annual hecatomb amounts to ten millions of individuals, 

 among which the Landsteiner of Wiholsburg reckons three mil- 

 lions Swallows," and also as saying "if after all this there can still 

 regularly occur that enormous slaughter of millions of little birds, 

 so that they can be seen in the markets like sacs full of grain, then 

 why condemn absolutely hunting by means of nets, since by this 

 very showing the method of hunting has not yet caused grave 

 damage?" 



But what of the reverse of the shield? Are small birds rare 

 or common throughout Europe? This I tried to determine as 

 far as I could in the limited opportunities at my disposal, for most 

 of our time was spent in large cities, and the trip to Flamboro Head 

 in June was the only one taken in which birds were the object 

 sought. On our walks or drives in the country I noticed the 

 relative abundance of birds as far as possible, and trust the fol- 

 lowing brief extracts from my note-book may be of interest. 



Of the ten days in the beginning of September, 1910, which we 

 spent in England, six were devoted to London, still I note that 

 Lapwings, Rooks, Wood Pigeons and many small birds were 

 plenty near Chester, and that "I have been impressed by the 

 great abundance of birds in England as seen from the train and 

 driving, in spite of cloudy weather." At Lucerne on Sept. 21 

 large Swifts were seen, at Oberammergau on the 24th, Coal 

 Titmice and Gold-crests; Mallards were common and tame at 

 Konig See on October 11, and we met a large flock of Bramblings 

 at Innsbruck on the 13th. 



During our stay in Venice, Black-headed Gulls {Larus ridihundus) 

 frequently were abundant in the Grand Canal, and Starlings and 

 Italian House Sparrows were often noticed. Birds were not plenty 

 along the Reviera, Dec. 19 to 25 as a rule, but we noticed many 

 small ones in the shrubbery at Monaco on Dec. 20, and a large 

 flock of some very noisy species in some trees at Mentone on Dec. 

 22. In the groves and bushes in the outskirts of Algiers small 

 birds were abundant during the first part of January and among 

 them I identified Crossbills. In the open country further from the 

 city, Skylarks and Pipits were numerous, and on an automobile 

 trip of about 80 miles which we took on Jan. 10, I wrote " Country 



