Ornithology of Corsica . 
191 
spurs, and the vast masses of the main mountain chains, 
covered for the greater part of the year with snow, stand 
out in bold relief. It must, however, not be supposed that 
the whole of the mountain surface is occupied by forests 
or barren peaks and snowfields. Everywhere in the island 
one meets with the “ macchia,” differing in character, of 
course—here consisting of cistus bushes, broom, and lavender, 
which is easily brushed aside and forms but a slight encum¬ 
brance in one’s way; there a vast tangle of lentiscus,myrtle, 
azalea, and many other shrubs, extending high overhead 
and rendering progress almost impossible. But from an 
ornithologist’s point of view this sea of brushwood has many 
advantages. In the first place, it furnishes a secure retreat 
for thousands of small birds, which breed there undisturbed, 
except perhaps at rare intervals when some wandering 
goatherd fires a patch of scrub, or the roots of the shrubs are 
grubbed up for pipe-bowls and the branches stacked for 
firewood. 
One last word on the natural conditions. The presence of 
these great forests ensures a continual supply of pure fresh 
water from the hills. The rivers are, however, little more 
than rapidly flowing streams of no great size, haunted only 
by a few pairs of the local race of the Dipper and the Grey 
Wagtail. 
Literature . 
With regard to the literature, it is interesting to note that 
until quite recently nearly all the work of ornithological 
exploration had been done by Englishmen. Of late years, 
however, our German cousins have shown more activity in 
the field, while the late Professor Giglioli was instrumental 
in largely increasing the list of autumn visitors. 
The following is a list of the most important publications 
on the subject:— 
[In 1866 the Rev. W. H. Hawker visited the island and explored the 
higher mountains, hut his paper in the 1 Alpine Journal,’ 1869, 
p. 269, contains nothing of interest to the ornithologist. The 
identification of the Imperial Eagle is probably an error for the 
Golden Eagle. A. chrysaetos.'] 
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