10 INTRODUCTION. 



out of sight, the summit of one vast snowy pile rather to the 

 south-east appearing to be as high, and looking quite as white, 

 as the Sierra Nevada, near Granada, which is also distinctly 

 visible to the north-east; but this African snowy range seems 

 further off. Below to the east, stretched out as if on a ground- 

 plan close to your feet, is Ceuta, with its ugly white-washed 

 Spanish forts and towers, between which and the Tetuan river 

 looms the gloomy headland of Cape Negro. Westward of this 

 are range after range of comparatively low dark hills, rolling 

 away towards Tangier and Cape Spartel, here and there one or 

 two being topped with a few crags and rocks. Far to the west 

 is the Atlantic, leading to the deep-blue Straits, looking, as they 

 separate Europe and Africa, like some mountain-lake. 



Tarifa, to the north-west, is clearly visible, as are the crags 

 of the Sierra de San Bartolome, the sandy cliffs of Cape 

 Trafalgar, and the long spit of land on which is the light- 

 house ; while all the grey, bare, barren-looking Spanish sierras 

 look, with the sun shining on them, as if they lay within a 

 stone's "throw. 



Gibraltar was shut out from our view, owing to the pleasantry 

 of some Moors, who rolled large stones down the only path 

 leading to the summit of the highest peak, and so prevented us 

 from ascending. However the view we did get was such as can 

 never be forgotten, and it was long before we descended to 

 continue our hunt for birds. 



The tops of these mountains, which are 2600 feet high (the 

 highest part of JebelMusa is about 2800 feet), were covered 

 with thousands of violets then in full bloom. The flowers were 

 light-coloured when growing among the stones and waterworn 

 rocks exposed to the sun, dark when shaded and growing among 

 the stunted bushes which were scattered about here and there : 

 their scent was perfect. Very few other flowers were growing 

 on the tops ; but most conspicuous among them was the 

 Gibraltar candytuft ; and the everlasting palmetto was met with 



