MEDITERRANEAN NOTES 241 



gulls' nests have been harried, and, as a party of Neapolitan 

 fishermen were at the same game on the outer island, 

 I did not think it worth while going to it. Almost every 

 islet has its pair, or more, of blue rock-thrushes." 



" May 12th. T. shot an Audouin off the coast of 

 Caprera. We saw two or three more of these birds off 

 the coast of Sardinia, but from their manners, and the 

 eggs in the ovaries being very small, I fancy that they 

 have not begun to lay yet. T. shot a fine raven on 

 the island Capucini. We saw two or three ospreys, 

 but nothing new to our list, except grey crow (Corvus 

 cornix\ shot at head of the bay of Arraguena ; saw 

 many common terns. Explored one or two nests of 

 bee-eater,* without result. Peck caught a small snake, 

 I believe C. viridoflavus. On Porco we found the nests 

 of shearwater, empty ; some evidently destroyed by rats." 



SPARGI AND SPARGIOTTO 



" May i^th. Explored Spargi and Spargiotto. The 

 eastern side of Spargi slopes to the sea, and ends on 

 low, broken cliff and boulder stones, with here and 

 there patches of white ,sandy beach. We found some 

 ten or twelve pairs of Audouin's gulls on one of these 



* The Bee-eater (Merops apiaster). This brilliantly plumaged bird 

 is familiar to those acquainted with the countries of the Mediterranean, 

 as it flies about the gardens and fields hawking for flies, after the 

 fashion of the swallow. It nests colonially, excavating burrows like 

 those of the Sand Martin (Cotile riparia). 



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