BIRDS AND LIGHTHOUSES 265 



In the countries bordering the Mediterranean it 

 is especially abundant at the periods of migration 

 in spring and autumn. Mr C. A. Wright, of Malta, 

 observed it arriving there in great numbers from 

 the south early in March ; and again, on its return 

 southwards in autumn, it is common over the whole 

 island until October. In Spain Mr Howard 

 Saunders detected it as early as February making 

 its way north. As an instance of how these delicate 

 birds at times get blown out of their course by 

 adverse winds, it may be remarked that Prince 

 Charles Bonaparte saw Swallows and Martins at 

 sea 500 miles from Portugal and 400 miles off the 

 coast of Africa. The late Mr Osbert Salvin saw 

 Swallows come on board the ship he was in when 

 180 miles north-west of the Azores. 



South of the Mediterranean Swallows may be 

 seen on the Senegal River and at Sierra Leone all 

 the year round, although less numerous there from 

 June to September; and on the west coast they 

 appear to go as far south as the island of St 

 Thomas on the Equator, where they have been 

 observed in January and February. 



All along the north coast of Africa, through 

 Morocco, Algeria, Tripoli, and Egypt, into Nubia, 

 Swallows are seen throughout the winter months, 

 and pass down the east coast through Abyssinia, 

 Zanzibar, and Natal to the Cape Colony, where 

 they are regular winter visitants. The late Mr 

 Edgar Layard, when sailing from New Zealand to 

 the Cape, saw a Swallow and a Sand Martin flying 

 round the ship for some time on November 28, 



