532 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke on the 



to' 



bonne southwards^ along the shores of the Mediterranean_, to 

 the foot-hills o£ the Pyrenees. To the imagination of the 

 ornithologist such a series of low-lying lagoons, in such a 

 latitude, present an ideal hunting-ground — one suggestive of 

 Herodii and other interesting aquatic species — similar to 

 that bird-paradise, the Camargue. A visit, however, soon 

 dispels such flights of fancy ; for in the place of reed- 

 beds, ol: forest-like dimensions, of acres of sedges and tus- 

 socks, he encounters the handiwork of the ever-industrious 

 Jacques Bonhomme. This worthy, with, no doubt, most 

 praiseworthy perseverance, has pushed his vineyards and his 

 patches of potatoes and onions to the very water's edge ; and 

 the spectacle of Jacques himself, nearly up to his middle in 

 water, mowing the grasses, &c., that essay to grow in the 

 shallows, gives a finishing touch to a scene which is certainly 

 not ornithological. Indeed, these etangs are almost destitute 

 of bird-life, the oidy species met with being here and there a 

 Kentish Plover; while a pair of Blue-headed Yellow Wag- 

 tails and of non-breeding Herons, and once the sight of a 

 party of Pratincoles on some adjoining arable land, quite 

 relieved the monotony of a ramble along their margins. 



On the downs, which lie between the etangs and the sea, 

 or which border the latter, bird- life is more abundant. 

 Here the Short-toed Lark, the Kentish Plover, and the 

 Stone Curlew were breeding in some numbers, and a small 

 Harrier, probably Montagu's, was also observed. The marshy 

 land which intersects these downs at and near the mouth of 

 the river Tech, and of a small river south of it, afford breed- 

 ing stations for the Great Reed Warbler, the Redshank, and 

 other aquatic species. An interesting find on the shores of 

 the Mediterranean was a nest of the Little Ringed Plover 

 placed on the sand just above high-water mark, and within a 

 few yards of the waves. Another nest was found on the 

 downs, and not more than fifty yards from the sea. This 

 species is, according to recognized authorities, rare at any 

 season on the sea-coast of Central and Southern Europe. 



A Carrion Crow was frequently seen hovering around the 

 picturesque reed-tents of the fishcr-folk which occur at in- 



