162 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



factory, that I feel justified in excluding them, at least for the 

 present, from our list. 



I began what I may call an idle collection of birds' eggs in 

 1898 ; this, however, gradually induced me to take a keen 

 interest in our breeding species, and from 1900 I began to be more 

 scrupulous and moderate in my collecting, and also to accom- 

 pany such collections with the necessary notes ; with the result 

 that, omitting those which I have not yet seen myself, the list 

 of the breeding birds of Malta to date has been brought up 

 to thirty-two. 



As will be seen from the list, it is difficult to fix the rate 

 of nidification for several species ; the rare Dartford Warbler, 

 for example, nested freely enough in 1910-11, while the Corn- 

 Bunting, which is one of our common residents and breeders, 

 nested so sparingly in 1911 that I was not able to procure more 

 than one nest. 



Some species which once nested abundantly have now 

 become so rare that I am afraid my having included them in 

 this list might one day give rise to much controversy. Amongst 

 these may be mentioned the Mediterranean Shearwater, which 

 is being rapidly exterminated from these islands. Noteworthy 

 also is the total absence of Marmora's Warbler in 1909, 1910, 

 1911, and 1914. 



Before beginning my list I must say that I do not by any 

 means pretend it is complete ; on the contrary, I quite believe 

 that it might easily be enlarged, especially if some species were 

 speedily and seriously protected. 



1. Blue Eock-Thrush. 



Monticola cyanus, Linn. — Merill. 



This bird, being our best songster, is in great demand among 

 bird-fanciers ; consequently it is continually diminishing in 

 numbers, and, though in 1911 it found a place on the list 

 of the protected birds, it is still being robbed of its nestlings 

 as it was before. Fortunately, the site which the bird selects 

 wherein to build its nest is a crag in those inaccessible rocks 

 overhanging the sea towards the south of the island, or high 



