68 THE ALPS IN JUNE. 



finally descend by a very steep winding path, which is the only 

 means of communication between the population of the valley 

 and that of the' higher slopes. In the willows and hazels among 

 which this path winds, and also on the opposite side of the 

 valley on the way to Kosenlaui, I have always heard a little 

 warbler whose voice was quite strange to me. More than once 

 I have done all I could to obtain a good sight of it ; but the 

 restless caprice of these little birds, who flit rapidly in and 

 out of the bushes while the ornithologist waits with his head 

 in a burning sun, only to lose sight of the tiny creature the 

 moment the glass is upon him, defeated my purpose of finding 

 out his species beyond the possibility of error ; and Anderegg 

 was as unwilling to use his gun so near the village, as I should 

 have been to sacrifice a joyous life to the spirit of curiosity. 

 But I have every reason to believe that my little tormentors 

 belonged to a species with which I shall hope some day to 

 make a closer acquaintance ; it bears the name of the Italian 

 naturalist Bonelli, and is a very near relation of our friends 

 the Chiff-chaff and "Willow- wren (Phylloscopis Bonndlii,\iQ\\). 

 Our walk is now ended, and this chapter is already quite 

 long enough. Were we to take another, we might see many 

 other species not less interesting than those we have met with 

 on the way from Stanz-stadt ; we might find Hawks and 

 Pigeons, Nutcrackers in the pine-woods, the Golden Oriole, or 

 the beautiful Blue-breast. But I have thought it better to 

 be content, for the most part, with the birds I have actually 

 met with in the walk we have chosen to take, rather than to 

 furnish a catalogue of all those we might be lucky enough to 



