280 Mr. W. P. Lowe on the [Ibis, 



ranoing to tlie head of the Persian Gulf. I have, however, 

 Jcnown the dark race to occur once in the Canar}^ Islands 

 ((.;/'. Ibis, 1920, p. 757\ so that apparently stragglers may 

 be looked for on the West Coast of Africa, where there can 

 be no limit to its wanderings. Undoubtedly the note 

 supplied by Mr, Lowe must apply to the British Lesser 

 Black-backed Gull (Lams fuscus af^nis), which is known to 

 winter in the western Mediterranean, in the Azores, Madeira, 

 and Canary Islands, passing down the West African coast as 

 far as Southern Nigeria. Mr. Lowe has himself obtained 

 a specimen of the light-backed race in Sierra Leone on a 

 former trip ; this was recorded by myself (lbis> 1912, p. 229) 

 as L.fascus. — D.^i.B.^ 



*Sterna maxima. Giant Tern. 



A flock of about fifty were seen daily off the shore. 



Streptopelia semitorquata erythrophrys. Red-eyed Turtle- 

 Dove. 



Yerv common. Youno- birds, well-flediied, were obtained 

 9 April. 



*Chalcopelia afra afra. Blue-spotted Wood-Dove. 

 Moderately common. 



Vinago calva calva. Bald-fronted Fruit-Pigeon. 

 Scarce. Two or three seen in the tall mangroves. 



Fancoliniis bicalcaratns thornei. Thome's Double-spurred 

 Francolin. 



This is undoubtedly by far the most common bird on the 

 island. In the cassava it fairly swarms, coveys of thirty or 

 more rising continuously as one walks through. They do a 

 great deal of damage to the crops, and the natives, having 

 no guns, are completely at the mercy of the bird. My last 

 visit to their feeding-grounds, 23 May, showed they had 

 paired and receded into the bush, as only an odd bird 

 was to bfl seen, where a few weeks previously there were 

 hundreds. 



