( 120 ) 



the specimens from the other islands it is paler ami more whitish. This cannot he 

 a snbspecifio difTerence, because : 



(1) A similar variation is soon in other forms tt^ Rcynliix i-iuihIh.s, thongh in 



that cast' the dark birds are those shot in antnmn and winter, and the 

 lifjht ones in spring. 



(2) Among the birds from Terceira some are dark, some light. 



(:{) The birds from Santa Maria, which is near to San Mignel and farthest 

 away from the central gronp, are very light, and not at all like the dark 

 San Mignel birds. The distribution of a dark and light form wonld thus 

 not be comprehensible. 

 [Local name : Estrellinha. 

 Specimens in the Ponta Delgada Museum : 



a — c. Ponta Delgada, San Mignel. 

 The Goldcrest is met with on most of tlie islands, bnt we did not find it 

 on ( 'orvo, thongh it may possibly occur there, nor was it met with anywhere on 

 Graciosa. Mr. Filippe Andrade informed me thatdnring his eighteen years" residence 

 on Graciosa he had twice come across the species on the faya-covered hillocks near 

 the village of Funchal, on the west side of the island ; bnt we did not meet with 

 it there, and ])robably the birds seen were accidental stragglers. On the islands 

 where it occurs its range extends from sea-level to the higliest ground, wherever 

 the faya and heath bushes flourish, but it is most numerous on the intermediate 

 slopes. It is very common on Santa Maria, San Miguel, San Jorge, and Flores, but 

 less niuuerous on Terceira, Pico, and Fayal. In the woods abont Furi;as and Sete 

 Cidades it abounds, being especially plentiful in the pine woods and clumps of 

 Cri/ptomeria )a}io>iica. Its habits and notes are perfectly similar to those of our 

 English Goldcrest. In the middle and end of May some of the birds obtained at 

 Pico and Fayal were evidently about to breed, for several of the females contained 

 eggs nearly ready to be laid ; bnt we were never able to And a nest. In the dense 

 fava-])lantations most freipiented by this species bird-nesting is extremely dittienlt, 

 and no help is to be had from the natives. 



The birds from St. Michael's are of a much yellower tint than those found on 

 the other islands.] 



105. [Hirundo rustica (li.) 



The Tonta Delgada Museum contains : 



a. Ponta Delgada, San Mignel. 

 The Common Swallow is a very rare straggler to the Azores.] 



HKi. [Chelidou urbica (L.) 



The Ponta Delgada Mnsenm <'ontains : 



a. Ponta Delgada, San Miguel. 

 The House-Martin only occurs in the Azores as a very rare straggler.] 



biT. Motacilla boarula schmitzi Tseh. 



MotaciUK Imiiulit xrhniil-.i Tschnsi, ()niilh..hihrh. xi. p. 22.S (1911(1 -Madeira). 



It is after some hesitation that I am using the name given to the Madeiran 

 form for the'Azorean snbs[iecies. It is very similar to M. hoiinilii hoiiriiln, but the 

 ear-coverts are extremely dark, the mnnstachial white line is somewhat rediice(l, ;ind 



