IG 
I. 
ON THE ORNITHOLOGY OF SPAIN. 
Commimicated by 
Howard Saunders, F.Z.S. 
Read 27th August, 1872. 
Until witliin the last few years but Uttle was known of the 
Ornithology of Spain, and that little was principally due to 
German naturalists, for our occupation of Gibraltar seemed to 
have proved of no service in this respect. Latterly tliis reproach 
has been, to a certain extent, taken away, so far as the Central 
and Southern portions of the Peninsula are concerned, hut there 
are other very important districts which have never been explored, 
and which, if they produce no absolutely new European Palmarctic 
formsj will probably throw some light upon the distribution of 
species. Such are the Asturian Mountains, the Spanish Pyi-enees, 
and the grand range of the Sierra Nevada, and althongh the latter 
has probably a fauna almost identical with that of the Atlas, it 
has the merit of being far more accessible. On the other hand, 
although Africa north of the Sahara possesses an essentially 
European or Paliearctic fauna, yet there are several species on 
both sides of the Mediterranean, which appear unwilling to cross 
even the narrow Straits of Gibraltar, and to these I shall call 
attention in their proper place ; I shall Hot attempt to enumerate 
every species, but will, briefly notice such of the inhabitants of the 
Peninsula as appear to be of interest. 
Following the usually accepted arrangement of commencing 
with the Raptores, we find the black vulture (F. monachm, L.) 
generally distributed throughout the country from the Pyrenees 
to Andalusia, excepting in the cultivated regions on the east 
coast, and it breeds early in Ap>ril wherever it iinds pine trees 
suitable for its enormous nest. The grifibn {Gyps fidous, fhu.) 
