1888.] 177 



In these situations may be seen fine examples o£ the plane, the acacia, 

 the white poplar, the locust tree {Geratonia siliqun, L.), the Australian 

 blue gum {Eucalyptus glohulus), the graceful Schinus molle of the 

 Andes, here called the pimienta or pepper tree, and the Chinese 

 ^Phytolacca dioica, or " bella sombra," remarkable for the immense 

 enlargement of its soft-wooded trunk just above the root : with the 

 usual South European fruit trees, and an occasional date palm, the 

 fruit of which, however, rarely, if ever, ripens here. The prickly pear 

 (^Opuntia) and the Agave americana are thoroughly naturalized, and 

 are much used in the neighbourhood to form hedges. 



As is well known, the Rock is the sole European locality in which 

 the Barbary ape (^Macacus inuus, L.) is found in a wild state. These 

 animals, reduced a few years ago to less than a dozen individuals, have 

 of late increased greatly in numbers, and, being strictly protected, are 

 very bold and fearless. The fig trees in the gardens suffer so much 

 from their depredations when the fruit is ripening, that it is found 

 necessary to employ men to scare them away. The Barbary partridge 

 (Caccabis petrosa, Gmel.), though numerous on the Rock as well as on 

 the opposite African coast, is, like the monkey, found nowhere else on 

 the European continent. The osprey, the peregrine falcon, the Egyptian 

 vulture, and Bonelli's eagle (JVtsaetusfasciatus,Yiell.), breed sparingly 

 on the higher crags. A very great number of species of fishes is 

 found in the Bay and the adjoining waters, and a visit to the market, 

 especially in the early morning, rarely fails to reward the naturalist 

 with the sight of many interesting and often rare forms. 



Leaving the town by the "Landport" gate at the north end, a 

 short walk brings one to the flat, sandy isthmus, of which the British 

 lines enclose a strip, from sea to sea, about a quarter of a mile long, 

 used as a race course and rifle range ; a similar strip between the 

 British and Spanish lines being " neutral ground." When I was here 

 in 1874 — 5, the race course was marked out with large loose stones, 

 under which Coleoptera congregated in myriads, but these have long 

 since been removed, much to the detriment of collecting, still, the 

 abundance of large beetles here is very striking at all times of the 

 year, but especially in the spring and early summer. The big, 

 unwieldy Morica planata, E., Fimelia fornicata, Sol., and Akis 

 acuminata, E., are to be seen everywhere waddling clumsily about, and 

 a little closer search will not fail to reveal Scaurus fristis, 01., and 

 punctatus, Hbst., Crypticus gibbulus, Quens., Erodius tibialis, L., two 

 species of Zophosis and of Stenosis, Tentyria onaroccana, Sol., and other 



