THE COASTS OF SICILY. 257 



significance, are not made the objects of his pursuit. 

 Here, as everywhere else, the dog and the cat share 

 his dwelling, which, at the same time, affords shelter 

 to the rat and the mouse. The ox, the horse, and 

 the ass, aid him in his labours, but beyond these 

 there are no mammals to be found on the island. 

 Some of the slender-billed Passerinae (Motacilla * ), 

 and a few little birds living upon grain, were hover- 

 ing about the fields and amongst the orange groves ; 

 whilst magnificent falcons, which were formerly in 

 great request for the noble sport of falconry, soared 

 incessantly above the peaks of the most inaccessible 

 rocks. Lizards, skinks, and the black snake, are the 

 representatives of the class of reptiles, and lie con- 

 cealed beneath the stones upon the beach. Insects 

 buzz among the hedges or burrow round the roots of 

 shrubs ; but there are not many different species to 

 be met with, and M. Blanchard very soon collected 

 numerous representatives of each of them. 



But while the air and the land were so deficient 

 in animals worthy of interest, the sea afforded us 

 ample compensation. In this respect Favignana 

 more than answered our expectations, for no place 

 could be better adapted for zoological investigations. 

 In several parts of the island the two kinds of rocks 

 of which we have already spoken, lay in juxtaposition 

 to one another, within a few inches below the level 

 of the sea, which, wearing away the limestone rock, 

 had laid bare a more compact stone, the inequalities 

 of which formed many recesses and small basins, 



* [This family includes most of our smaller singing birds.] 

 VOL. I. 8 



