Notes from Marocco. 55 



of water-fowl — Teal, Wild Duck and Coots, Common and 

 Buff-backed Herons, a Flamingo and a Crane ; and a pair 

 of Ospreys were to be seen plunging into the surface after 

 their prey. The heat was at this season severe, and search- 

 ing among the thick grass in the marsh, and on the sandy 

 dunes nearer the sea, was trying. Moreover, the birds 

 seemed to have sought shadier quarters, with the exception 

 of a few Herring-Gulls from the neighbouring Cape Negro, 

 which closely followed, and apparently commented on, my 

 movements. A few small Waders were on the edge of the 

 water, and a Black Kite (Milvus migrans) sat on the top 

 of a clump of stunted tamarisk ; while swarms of bright 

 yellow locusts rose at every step from the sand in short 

 flights. On re-embarking I sailed on to Cape Negro, and 

 drifted slowly round it in the shade of the high cliffs. 

 Herring-Gulls {Larus cachinnans) were sitting on their 

 nests, and Shags {Phalacrocorax graculus) had full-grown 

 young, some still in the nests, others, with the old birds, 

 sitting on the isolated rocks beneath the cliffs, only gliding 

 off into the water when the rock was struck with an oar — 

 so tame were they ; nor would the Gulls take flight unless 

 closely approached. 



Large flocks of Rock-Pigeons {Columha livia) flew in and 

 out of the caverns and fissures, and in a nest in a hole in 

 one of the pillars of a natural arch standing out from the 

 Cape a pair of Bonelli's Eagles had young, and I also saw a 

 Eaven [Corvus tingitanus) fly into its nest, with young, in 

 a fissure. The boatmen were highly amused in trying to 

 identify the various birds seen by means of Saunders's 

 Manual, which I had among my baggage, and in explaining 

 to mc the different Spanish names for them. 



On rounding the Cape, the Bay of Tetuan Avas entered, 

 with a stretch of white sandy beach to the north of the 

 mouth of the Tetuan river, on which the wretched huts of 

 a few Moorish fishermen were built; to the south stretched 

 the Riff" coast, with the curious little watch-towers con- 

 spicuous on every promontory. On the south bank of the 

 river, reaching back to the foot of the motmtains, are 



