. My life among the wild birds in Spain . sea-cliffs. The simplest nest to reach I ever saw was one placed on a smallprojecting rock only 12 ft. or 15 ft. below the crest of a limestonecliff. The nest was visible from above, but below it the cliffreceded, with the result that there was a clear drop between it andthe sea some 230 ft. below. However unreasonable it may seem,a nest in such a place as this is ever more alarming to look at thanis one placed in some really dangerous place, since nothing is hererequired to reach it beyond good nerves and good ropes. Thisnest contained three magnifice
. My life among the wild birds in Spain . sea-cliffs. The simplest nest to reach I ever saw was one placed on a smallprojecting rock only 12 ft. or 15 ft. below the crest of a limestonecliff. The nest was visible from above, but below it the cliffreceded, with the result that there was a clear drop between it andthe sea some 230 ft. below. However unreasonable it may seem,a nest in such a place as this is ever more alarming to look at thanis one placed in some really dangerous place, since nothing is hererequired to reach it beyond good nerves and good ropes. Thisnest contained three magnificently marked fresh eggs on 31 March,which is about the normal time for Ospreys to lay. This expedition was one of the many red-letter days ot myornithological life. The Ospreys stronghold was on a big detachedrock some hundreds of yards from the mainland. All around it An Ospreys Stronghold 257 and between us and the shore the water was many fathoms deepand of the most intense blue, with deep purple shadows below thegreat cliffs AN OSPREYS STRONGHOLD. To reach the summit we had to effect a landing from a dinghyon some slippery rocks in a deep cavern into which the swell wasgently surging. This cavern was full of nests of the Green * ormorant, mostly at the time of our visit containing hard-set eggs orblack sprawling naked chicks. It is needless to insist on the aromaof the place. A scramble round some rocks and up a steep .^ully 17 258 The Osprey brought us to the brilliant .sunlight on the top of the crag. Althoughthe serrated ridges of limestone scarcely permitted of our seeing theground between them, through the interstices of the rock grew anamazing wealth of flowers. Masses of wild parsley, red and whitefumitory, marigold, catchfly, squill and fennel were to be seen onevery side, whilst tall sprays of asphodel and big acanthus rearedtheir heads above all. It was difficult to keep ones footing inplaces owing to the densely growing lentiscus bushes, shorn by thewin
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