75 
the mediterranean naturalist 
again and again, releasing it only long enough j 
to avoid being crushed or impaled upon its sharp 
brow horns. Blinded at last and wearied by 
these attacks, confused by the cries of the ap- 
proaching huntsmen, the terrified and exhausted 
Gazelle falls an easy prey to the Greyhounds 
and pursuing horsemen. Sometimes a young or 
badly-trained bird would fall a victim to his in- 
terference; for the efforts of the Gazelle to 
destroy, as well as to shake off, his tormentors, 
inspired by the instinct of self-preservation, are 
often as energetic as piteous to witness.” The 
reader is not told what species of hawk is thus 
employed, but it is evidently not the Goshawk, 
for it is described as circling rapidly upward 
until almost lost to sight. The flight is that of 
a falcon, and unless there be some poetic license 
in the description, which it is difficult to conceive 
if the author were really an eye-witness of the 
sport, it must be a falcon of some kind that is 
used, and a powerful one too. The Peregrine 
would scarcely be strong enough; it has nothing 
like the grip of the Goshawk, as I know from 
having carried both. The Icelander or the Jer- 
falcon would, in all probability, not be obtain- 
able; the Lanner and the Barbary Falcon would 
be too small. What, then, is the species?— -Nat: 
Hist. Rev. 
Science Gossip. 
The following is the areage of the principal 
islands of the Mediterranean. 
Sicily 10,500 sq. miles. Corsica 3337 sq. miles. 
Sardinia 9,000 sq. miles. Crete 3320 sq. miles. 
Cyprus 3584 sq. miles. 
The last few months have been an anxious time 
for the olive, grain, and almond growers of Algeria, 
and Morocco, on account of the irreparable losses 
that have been inflicted by the ravages of the 
locusts. 
The evil is, however, not altogether an unqua- 
lified one, for the natives, both Jews, and Mahom- 
rnedans, largely use the insects as food. 
Tire locusts are collected in bags, and are taken 
into the towns, where, after being boiled in salt 
and water, they are parched over a clear fire. 
The flavour of the insect, thus dried, is by no 
means disagreeable, but resembles to a great 
extent, the flavour of the prawn. 
To the Cornhill for August Mr. Grant Allen 
contributes a most interesting article in which he 
points out that it is a great mistake to suppose 
that it is in the tropics only where nature furnishes 
the most gorgeous floral display. 
“As a matter of fact, people who know the hot 
world well can tell you that the average tropical 
woodland is much more like the dark shade of 
Box Hill or the deepest glades of the Black 
Forest. For really fine floral display in the mass, 
all at once, you must go, not to Ceylon, Sumatra, 
Jamaica, but to the far north of Canada, the 
Bernese Oberland, the moors of Inverness-shire, 
the North Cape of Norway. 
Flowers are loviiest where the climate is coldest; 
forests are greenest, most luxuriant, least blos- 
soming, where the conditions of life are richest, 
warmest, fiercest.” 
We beg to call the attention of our readers to 
the “Special Notice” on the first page of this 
number. 
The article on “Cyprus” by Lieut. General Sir 
R. Biddulph, G.C.M.G.,C,B., will be continued in 
our next issue. 
At the last meeting of the Geographical Society 
of Berlin Dr. Kretschmer delivered his report of 
the results of his studies and investigations in the 
Italian libraries for cartographical material of the 
Middle ages. 
He was successful in discovering several “wheel 
and compass maps,” that have hitherto been 
unknown. It is the intention of the Society to 
publish them in connection with the celebration 
of the 400th. anniversary of the discovery of 
America. 
