158 MARITIME HAUNTS. [CHAP. v. 



coasts and innumerable islands of the Mediterranean 

 are still famous, as they have been ever since the his- 

 toric memory of man, for the plenty and excellence of 

 the Bock Pigeons which have located themselves in va- 

 rious situations there. Colonel Napier, in his amusing 

 and spirited "Wild Sports of Europe, "thus describes his 

 meeting with them at Marfa, a decayed palace or villa 

 situated at the western extremity of Malta: 



" On learning that our professed vocation was to 

 wage war on the beasts of the earth, the fowls of the 

 air, and fishes of the sea, the old Pensioner who was 

 in charge of the place, and was known by the name of 

 Sans Facon, expressed his regret that it was too early 

 in the season for the Tunny fishery, which he described 

 as being well worth seeing, and which has been cele- 

 brated in history even from the times of the Phoenicians. 

 He, however, proposed to accompany us on a shooting 

 excursion, and promised to indicate the usual abodes of 

 the Blue Pigeon, which in great numbers frequents all 

 the precipitous cliffs forming the boundary of this rocky 

 coast. We accordingly sailed out, and proceeding in a 

 southerly direction towards the cliffs, went over ground 

 such as in all my wanderings I had never before wit- 

 nessed. * * * * * * * 



" Leaving this scene of desolation this wide bed of 

 lava and volcanic deposit we gradually ascended, as the 

 abrupt and rocky shore now assumed a still bolder ap- 

 pearance, and rose to stately cliffs, at whose foot broke 

 the foaming surge with a dull and sullen sound, subdued 

 and deadened to our ears by the fearful height we had 

 attained .above the angry and boiling billows. This 

 was the resort of our feathered foes (?), who, started 

 from their nest by the stones hurled over the perpendi- 



