62 SOME BIRDS OF THE CANARY ISLANDS 



a specimen of Mr. Meade-Walclo's Chat [Pratincola 

 dacoticc), the only one that I came across in the island. 

 This bird is, I believe, peculiar to Fuerteventura. 



When we are within five or six miles of Puerto 

 Cabras we strike into a carriage road, much to our 

 surprise ; it seems it is newly constructed, and appears 

 to be feeling" its way out into the desert in a very 

 tentative manner. It certainly does not get much 

 encouragement, for so far as I know there was nothing 

 on wheels in the island at the time we were there. The 

 camels evidently mistrust this road, as they have worn 

 a narrow track on one side of it, and avoid walking in 

 the middle. It was decorated on both sides with rather 

 small stones placed at intervals of about twenty yards, 

 apparently as ornaments, for they were not of much use, 

 being merely placed on the ground where they could 

 be kicked aside. This road necessitates bridges and 

 all sorts of extravagances, and our camel, after studiously 

 ignoring the existence of the road for some miles, starts 

 off down the steep side of a barranco instead of going 

 over a bridge, so that it has to be i"nominiouslv driven 

 back by the man. 



A loner incline breasted, and we look down on Puerto 

 Cabras — the Port of Goats, — still an hour's journey 

 away, although it appears to be so close. The sea, 

 as yet, Is untenanted, and there is no sign of the Leon 

 y Castillo, which should soon be putting in an appear- 

 ance on her return from Lanzarote ; we are early yet 

 though, and take our time over this, the last stage of 

 our journey. 



We pass the little white-walled cemetery which 

 overlooks the town, and then find ourselves in the 



