190 MEDITERRANEAN NOTES 



Creek. Had several exciting chases after scoters,* but 

 were unlucky in losing two that we knocked down, and 

 also a fine male hen-harrier, at which I fired, but it 

 fell into a piece of Indian corn near Maliano, and was 

 not to be found. We lunched at Port Plover, and after- 

 wards went away up Quarantine Creek. Very little sport, 

 but good fun cruising about." 



" November i%th. Left for the O'Connor sands, upon 

 the north side of which the sea was breaking grandly, the 

 wind having shifted to north-west. I shot a young herring 

 gull and had one long crack at a great northern diver, 

 who did not like it, dived, and as far as we were con- 

 cerned, never came up again. We landed on the sands, 

 and finding no birds thereon proceeded to the Venta 

 de Soma and across the hill to the left of it. Found 

 a beautiful-looking woodcock covert just behind the 

 village, but no woodcock in the part of it that we tried. 

 Met a don with a dog, who told us that there had been 

 a vast number of woodcocks some days ago, but that he 

 feared that this southerly wind had taken them all away. 

 He directed us to a weedy lake just south of the village 

 of Paredo, where he said there were some snipes. We 

 went on there, and found several. I was tired and sat 

 about, and only got two or three long shots. Caimady 

 tramped the marsh boldly and had several shots, but 



* The scoters are sea ducks, although they come inland at 

 nesting time. The birds referred to were probably the Common 

 Scoter (CEdemia nigra). 



