Ixxvi AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



paration. We had the golden oriole, the roller, 

 the bee-eater, the spotted gallinule, the least of 

 the water-rails, the African redstart, the hoopoe, 

 the egrette, the shrikes, and several varieties of 

 the quail, and I procured an adult pair of the 

 partridge of the Apennines in superb plumage. 



Thus did time glide on, every day producing 

 something new to engage the attention of my 

 indefatigable sisters-in-law, and to give me suf- 

 ficient occupation in ornithology, so that we 

 felt somewhat low in spirits when the day 

 arrived on which we were to take our departure 

 for Naples. I saw more birds on the route 

 from Rome to Naples than I had observed in 

 the whole of the journey from England. Kites 

 and common buzzards, sparrow-hawks and 

 windhovers, were ever on the wing in the azure 

 vault above us. 



As we were resting our horses at a little inn 

 on the side of the road, I had a fine oppor- 

 tunity of getting close to a very large herd of 

 Italian buffaloes. These wild-looking animals 

 have got a bad name for supposed ferocity, and 

 * when I expressed my determination to approach 

 them, I was warned by the Italians not to do 

 so, as the buffaloes were wicked brutes, and 



