Birds of Teneriffe. 75 



No species of Bee-eater regularly visits Teneriffe^ I believe ; 

 but Viera, in his Dictionary^ mentions the arrival of con- 

 siderable flocks in Gran Canaria in 1788 and 1800. His 

 description is that of the common Merops apiaster. 



The migratory species of Shrike which arrives in Tenerifi'e 

 about the end of March is undoubtedly Lanius algeriensis. 

 I was unable to procure specimens during my stay, but 

 young Baeza (son of my poor friend the captain), acting 

 under my orders, went on an expedition, after my depar- 

 ture, to the Puuta de Teuo, the north- western extremity of 

 the island, and procured several skins there. These I have 

 compared with examples of the other Grey Shrikes in my 

 collection, and have come to the conclusion that they are 

 L. algeriensis. This identification endorses the opinion of 

 Sharpe and Dresser {' Birds of Europe,' vol. iii. p. 389), 

 who predicted that this form would prove to be the one occur- 

 ring in the Canary Islands. It appears to be numerous in 

 the vicinity of the Punta de Teno, where it breeds, but, 

 so far as I could ascertain, it is comparatively rare on the 

 eastern side of the island. 



There are but two game birds to be found in any numbers 

 in Teneriffe, the Barbary Partridge {Caccabis petrosa) and 

 the Quail. Woodcocks are resident in the ravines high up 

 on the mountain, but are too rare to afford sport to the native 

 " cazadores/^ and Snipe are never met with in any numbers 

 in the winter, owing to the want of suitable places for 

 them. 



The Partridge is tolerably numerous in the upper and 

 rougher portions of the island ; but, from what I could hear, 

 no big bags are made, owing to the difficult nature of the 

 ground and the well-known running powers of the bird. I 

 saw a good many during my ornithological rambles, and shot 

 two or three, for identification, in magnificent plumage. They 

 are most plentiful on the southern slopes, near Vilaflor, 

 whence I have some eggs, presented to me by my friend Don 

 Ramon Gomez, taken about the 1st April. Baeza repeatedly 

 assured me that he had been Partridge-shooting on the north 

 side of Gran Canaria, the island nearest to Teneriffe on the 



