NOTES FROM THE FRENCH PYRENEES. 25 



colony, and my brother managed to secure two splendid specimens 

 after daily lying in wait for tbem for some considerable time. One 

 I believe to be an old bird, and the other one probably a year old. 

 I do not remember ever having seen these birds elsewhere in the 

 Pyrenees, except, of course, stragglers at a short distance away 

 from the colony. They are exceedingly wild birds, and con- 

 sequently it is no easy matter to watch their habits at all closely. 

 They generally prefer some rather isolated piece of rock to sit 

 upon, from which they can survey the surrounding country 

 without fear of a surprise. On referring to my diary, I find 

 that the gizzards of my two specimens contained fragments of 

 Coleoptera, worms, and some vegetable material. 



P. al])inus, Koch. — Abundant, excepting in the particular 

 region where their larger cousins have their colony, and there, 

 I imagine, they would not dare to put in an appearance. I 

 saw numbers of them in the valley leading up towards Lac 

 Bugeret. 



Garrulus glandarius, Linn. — Common, and breeding at 

 Argeles ; also breeds at St. Sauveur. 



Pica rustica, Scop. — Common. I have its eggs from Argeles. 



Corvus corax, Linn. — Abundant in the higher regions. 



Gecinus viridis, Linn. — One of the most common birds in the 

 Argeles woods. Breeds there. 



Jynx torquiUa, Linn. — One in the Luz collection. 



Upiqja epox>s, Linn. — In both the local collections. 



Strix flammea, Linn. — Argeles collection. 



Asio otiis, Linn. — One or two in the Argeles collection. 



A, accipitrinus, Pall. — In the Argeles collection. 



Scops giu, Scop. — I saw specimens of this " Petit Due " in 

 both the Argeles and Luz collections. 



Bubo ignavus, Forst. — This was in the Luz collection. It had 

 been shot in the great cliffs by the Pont Napoleon. It was simply 

 a skin, and one which I should like well to have purchased, but 

 unfortunately some mischievous individual had deprived it of its 

 head, added to which the moths had been making rather free 

 with the remains. 



Athene noctua, Eetz. — I had one of these presented to me 

 by M. Bordere, of Gedre. It was shot there some eight or ten 

 years ago. 



Gyps fidvus, Gmel. — I saw what I took to be this noble 



