352 Voyage Scientifique en Moree. 



reduced the country to a state more congenial to their habits, and 

 fitted to encourage their propagation. 



Birds. — The catalogue of birds is extremely scanty, consisting of 

 only 66 species, without any pretension to novelty. We should be 

 inclined to say MM. de la Commission, What have you been about ? 

 In fact, it would seem incredible that such a list should be the pro- 

 duction of so much time and labour. We could be almost tempted to 

 furnish a supplementary list of those we know must be there, or which, 

 from some cause or other, have been overlooked. Our countryman, 

 Mr Strickland has, we believe, at least found one new Sylvia, and has 

 done more than the Grecian Institute. 



A good plate is given of the Falco tinnunculoides, which, until 

 very recently, was, and still is, extremely rare in collections. (We be- 

 lieve the first seen in this country were those brought from Spain 

 by the writer of this notice.) They claim the merit, we believe due, 

 of giving the first good representation of the most beautiful of the 

 smaller eagles, as the Falco Bonelli, when in full plumage, is unri- 

 valled amongst the larger of the genus of the European Falconidse. 



We have long been aware of this bird being common in Greece, 

 from the circumstance of first seeing a number of them blown off 

 by a gale from the Acroceraunian mountains several years since, du- 

 ring the war, when they were captured at sea. The writer of the orni- 

 thological report asserts that it is unknown in the west of Europe ! Yet 

 they inform us in another place, that one of the party had been at Seville, 

 where they swarm, as they do in all the cities of the south of Spain, 

 and are seen as far north as Toledo. We do not despair, if our Hi- 

 bernian brethren, who are at last in the field, and will look vigilantly 

 out, of adding this and other interesting birds to the British fauna. 



A very moderate flight to a bird accustomed, as this is, to re- 

 main the whole day on the wing, would waft them from the western 

 coasts of the Peninsula to the nearest part of Ireland. We particu- 

 larly recommend the attention of the writer of the notice on the 

 Irish birds in the late number of this Journal to the subject, and 

 especially to those which are mentioned as breeding about the steeples 

 of churches. 



We wish steps were taken to naturalize these beautiful birds, which 

 we have no doubt would easily live in the south of England. They 

 are quite harmless, live on beetles and other insects, occasionally take 

 a mouse or mole, and would be highly ornamental in such situa- 

 tions as Exeter or Salisbury cathedrals. They can easily be procured 



