44 



Stint are common, though Temminck's Stint is much 

 less so. The Turnstone and Avocet are somewhat 

 rare, but the Stilt is more frequently met with. 

 The crimson-winged Flamingo which is so abundant 

 upon the inland waters of Barbary is merely a acci- 

 dental visitor. The Water Rail which the Maltese 

 call the Winter Rail is not very common, but the 

 Corn, Spotted, Baillon's and Little Crakes are in 

 some years fairly abundant. The Water Hen> Coot, 

 and Crested Coot, are not uncommon, nor are the 

 Skua and Pomarine Skua quite unknown. 



Of the Gulls the Lesser Black-headed, Herring, 

 Audouin's, Common, Kittiwake, Slender-billed, Adri- 

 atic or Mediterranean, Black or Brown-headed, and 

 Little varieties hover above and around us. The 

 Terns are represented by the Sandwich, Common, 

 Lesser, Black, Whiskered, and Gull-billed species. 

 The Cinereous aud Manx Shearwaters which are 

 amongst our indigenous birds rear their young among 

 the cliffs of the southern shores of Malta and Gozo, 

 at Filfla, and at Comino, allowing themselves often- 

 times to be taken whilst sitting on the nest. To 

 the Storm Petrel we have already alluded. The 

 Cormorant and Pelican are by no means regular in 

 their visits, and the Bean Goose seldom makes any 

 stay with us, usually flying high over head, as do 

 also the Hooper and Mute Swans. A flock of the 

 last named noble birds was however seen in the 

 Quarantine Harbour on December 23rd, 1865. 



