106 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



BIRD-NOTES FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

 By G. Bathurst Hony, M.B.O.U. 



During the training cruise of 'H.M.S. Cumberland,' in 1911, 

 I spent four months in the Mediterranean, and possibly some 

 notes on the birds seen may be of interest. 



We left Plymouth on January 17th, 1911, and our original 

 escort of sea birds soon departed ; on the next day, however, we 

 were joined by some Lesser Black-backed Gulls when about one 

 hundred and forty miles from land (46° 26' N, 7° 40' W). We 

 reached Gibraltar on the 21st, and here I saw some Sand- 

 Martins (the only ones seen during the whole cruise), Blackcaps, 

 a Chiffchaff, and a Black Redstart. The next day I saw a 

 Whitethroat, and put up some Barbary Partridges at the very 

 top of the Rock. The Gulls at Gibraltar were mostly Lesser 

 Black-backed and Black-headed, with a few Herring- Gulls. 



We left Gibraltar on February 5th and reached Algiers on 

 the 8th, but though we spent six days there I had little oppor- 

 tunity for bird watching. We were at Malta from February 16th 

 to the 25th, but almost the only birds seen were Maltese 

 Sparrows. We sailed for Alexandria on the 25th, and few birds 

 were seen till about three hours out of Alexandria on the 28th, 

 when a Kestrel joined us and settled on the foremast. I was 

 unable to land till March 3rd, on which day I saw Turtle-Doves, 

 White Wagtails and Spotted Flycatchers. On the 5th, Swallows, 

 Willow- Warblers, Meadow-Pipits and Hoopoes were seen. The 

 Black-headed Gulls were just obtaining their breeding plumage. 

 Leaving Alexandria on the 13th we reached Cyprus the next 

 day, and when some twenty-five miles from the island a party of 

 Wagtails flew round the ship but were not identified. On 

 landing on the 14th I saw Swifts, Swallows, several flocks of 

 Goldfinches, some Hoopoes, Peewits and a Chiffchaff, and the 

 next day a pair of Stonechats. 



On the 18th we sailed for Platea (South Greece), which we 



