1 76 MEDITERRANEAN NOTES 



VACCA AND TORO 



" May 26th. Beautiful morning. Went off in the 

 cutter again about 6 a.m. to Vacca ; did not find so 

 many birds, but landed several of the men who brought 

 off many eggs. The yacht got under way about 8.30 a.m., 

 and stood down towards us with a light north-west breeze ; 

 we went on board about 9 a.m. and ran down to the lee 

 side of Toro (some seven miles perhaps). Toro is of 

 an entirely different formation from Vacca ; it is higher 

 and apparently composed of hard sandstone very much 

 fretted and broken by weather ; the northern side slopes 

 in a sort of succession of broken terraces to the sea. 

 The eastern side is chiefly precipitous, with masses of 

 sea-beaten rock at the foot of the steeps. The island is 

 overgrown with a plant bearing a bright yellow flower. 

 The western side, exposed to the blowing north-west wind, 

 we did not explore. Owing to the height of the rock 

 we did not reach many birds, but I had my greatest 

 ornithological triumph. We got on board again about 

 i p.m., and it immediately came on to blow very hard 

 from the north-west, so we, being rather in want of supplies, 

 ran on to the bay of Palmas, and anchored off San Antioco. 

 I stayed on board and blew eggs. The wind fell, and we 

 had a very quiet night, with occasional heavy showers. 



Additional Entry 



" On Vacca this morning we found that the 

 Eleonora falcons had, to a great measure, left the rock, 



