THE IBIS. 
NINTH SERIES. 
No. XVIII. APRIL 1911. 
VII .—Notes on the Ornithology of Corsica. 
By the Rev. Francis C. R. Jourdain, M.A., M.B O.U. 
Introduction. 
The island of Corsica (K vpvos of the Greeks) lies in the 
Western Mediterranean due north of Sardinia, from which 
it is separated by the narrow Straits of Bonifacio. It lies 
between 41° 21' and 43° N. latitude, and 8° 30' and 9° 3(F 
E. longitude, and has an extreme length of 116 miles and a 
breadth of 52 miles, while the area is estimated at about 3368 
square miles. It is easily accessible to English visitors by 
steamer from Marseilles, and there is a good service of boats 
from that port to Bastia and Ajaccio. 
Almost the whole of the island is occupied by an intricate 
chain of mountain systems. The prevalent rocks are 
granite, gneiss, and mica slate; while beds of porphyry, 
serpentine, and syenite also occur. In the middle of the 
island the mountains attain considerable heights. The 
loftiest peak is Monte Cinto (8889 ft.), but Monte Rotondo 
(8609 ft.), Pagliorba (8284ft.), and Monte d'Oro (7841 ft.) 
are formidable rivals. Towards the north, near Cap Corse, 
the scenery is tamer and a larger proportion of the land has 
been brought under cultivation, but except in the narrow 
belt of alluvial land along the east coast and the low ground 
on the foothills, the country remains unspoilt by the liand of 
SER. IX.-VOL. V. f 
