Birds of Teneriffe. 431 



tion. I obtained several specimens near Orotava, and saw 

 others along the north- west coast near Garachico and Buena 

 Vista. 



The Barn Owl {Strios flammea) is apparently rare. My 

 friend Gomez, the principal chemist of Orotava (who has a 

 most creditable museum of natural history and archaeological 

 remains)^ possesses a specimen ; but I did not meet with one 

 myself. 



The Curator of the Botanical Gardens at Orotava, Herr 

 Vilprecht, an intelligent observer, assured me he had seen an 

 example of the Little Owl in the Gardens. This is not at all 

 improbable, and I was much astonished at not meeting with 

 some species of Athene in such a suitable place as Teneriffe. 

 The absence of the Eagle Owl is remarkable in a rocky 

 mountainous island where rabbits are fairly numerous ; 

 but I failed to hear of it, though I was continually making 

 inquiries. 



The Blackbird [Turdas merula) has been restricted by 

 former writers to the upper wooded districts ; but this is un- 

 questionably an error, for it is numerous in the gardens of 

 Orotava, and delighted us at the hotel by its song in the early 

 spring. I have seen three or four at a time there, and a brood 

 was hatched out during my stay. I also noticed it frequently 

 along the sea-coast, on the north-west shore, in suitable 

 places. It is certainly more numerous in the forest-belt, to 

 which two other familiar species, the Robin and the Gold- 

 crest, are confined ; but^ whether of late years or not, it has 

 now obtained a permanent footing in the cultivated grounds 

 below. 



Another bird that has now become quite as common in the 

 lower as in the forest region is the Chiffchaff {Phylloscopus 

 riff us), which is extremely abundant and lively in all the 

 gardens and orchards of Orotava and elsewhere along the 

 coast. I was sorely puzzled by the notes of this bird, which 

 differ considerably from the well-known " chip- chop '' so 

 welcome to our ears in early spring in our English woods. 

 The Cauarian bird expresses its song at greater length in a 

 desultory manner, though also in monosyllables resembling 



