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fHE IlilS. 



NINTH SERIES. 



No. XVIII. APRIL 1911. 



VII. — Notes on the Ornithology of Corsica. 

 By the Rev. Francis C. R. Jourdain, M.A., M.B.O.U. 



Introduction. 

 The island of Corsica (Kvpvos of the Greeks) hes in the 

 Western Mediterranean due north of Sardinia, from which 

 it is separated by the narrow Straits of Bonifacio. It lies 

 between 41° 21' and 43° N. latitude, and 8° 30' and 9° 30' 

 E. longitude, and has an extreme length of 116 miles and a 

 breadth of 52 miles, while the area is estimated at about 3368 

 square miles. It is easily accessible to English visitors by 

 steamer from Marseilles, and there is a good service of boats 

 from that port to Bastia and Ajaccio. 



Almost the whole of the island is occupied by an intricate 

 chain of mountain systems. The prevalent rocks are 

 granite, gneiss, and mica slate ; while beds of porphyry, 

 serpentine, and syenite also occur. In the middle of the 

 island the mountains attain considerable heights. The 

 loftiest peak is Monte Cinto (8889 ft.), but Monte Rotondo 

 (8609 ft.), Pagliorba (8284ft.), and Monte d'Oro (7841 ft.) 

 are formidable rivals. Towards the north, near Cap Corse, 

 the scenery is tamer and a larger proportion of the land has 

 been brought under cultivation, but except in the narrow 

 belt of alluvial land along the east coast and the low ground 

 on the foothills, the country remains unspoilt l)y the hand of 



SER. IX. VOL. V. p 



