74 Captain S. G. Reid on the 



mimitj^ at large in keeping down the many insect pests 

 frequenting the lower levels of the island. 



Dr. Crotch informed me that he had certainly met with 

 the Yellow Bunting [Eiiiberiza citrinella) ; but I did not 

 observe it myself, nor did I see, or hear of, the Short-toed 

 Lark, or the Siskin, though both are said to inhabit 

 Teneriffe. 



I was equally unfortunate as regards the Kingfisher 

 [Alcedo ispida), which Mr. Godman met with; and the Pied 

 Flycatcher [Muscicapa atricapilla) , included by Webb and 

 Berthelot in the Teneriffian list. 



The Hoopoe {Upupa epops) is a common bird, and soon at- 

 tracts the attention of even the most unornithological visitor. 

 I found it fairly numerous in the island at the begin- 

 ning of February, and there seems no doubt that some few 

 pass the winter there, many others appearing in spring. These 

 handsome birds are fond of sitting on the walls or trees in 

 the vicinity of the '^carretera," or main road, and are easily 

 approached, either on foot or horseback. I have seen five or 

 six on the same heap of stones in a vineyard close to the 

 thoroughfare. They were just beginning to breed when I 

 left the island, early in April ; the only nest I came across 

 was in the middle of a big stone wall, overgrown by the 

 branches of an ancient fig-tree, quite unassailable. The 

 local name in Teneriffe, " Tabobo," exactly expresses the 

 curious note of the Hoopoe, a very familiar sound to me as 

 I sat sketching in the barrancos near the hotel at Orotava. 

 Viera gives as its common name " Abobito.'^ He says it is 

 not difficult to rear the young, by feeding them on raw meat, 

 and the old birds also get reconciled to captivity and catch 

 flies &c. 



There is, I believe, only one species of Woodpecker found 

 in the island, the Great Spotted Woodpecker [Dendrocopus 

 major), and this, as might be expected, is confined to the pine- 

 belt high up on the mountain-side. I obtained a pair in the 

 pine-woods above La Guancha, on the 15th Feb. Its local 

 name in this place is " Peto^'; in other districts the bird is 

 called " Carpintero," or " the carpenter." 



