444 Mr, A. Chapman— Winter Notes in Spain. 



XL VII. — Winter Notes in Spain. By Abel Chapman. 



Having spent another winter in the Peninsula, I venture 

 to submit the following accounts of my observations at that 

 season, as supplementary to my former paper (Ibis, 1884, 

 p. 66), which chiefly referred to the spring and summer in 

 Andalucia. 



Notwithstanding its usually fine winter climate, Southern 

 Spain is hardly so rich in birds at that season as might be 

 expected. The difffereuce between its spring and winter avi- 

 fauna is much more marked than the temperature and prevail- 

 ing conditions would appear to render necessary. All the 

 brilliantly plumaged southern forms have disappeared, for the 

 Bee-eaters, Rollers, Golden Orioles, Hoopoes, and many 

 others, which in summer lend quite a semi-tropical character 

 to the Spanish avifauna, withdraw during the autumn months, 

 and many of the Baptores, Sylviidse, and Ardeidae have also 

 gone ; while in a wet season — such as the winter of 1887-88 

 in Spain proved to be — the scarcity or absence of the wading 

 birds is very remarkable. 



Among the Spanish winter residents are several of our 

 British summer visitors. In the beautiful gardens of my friend 

 Mr. W. J. Buck, at Jerez, these were very numerous, and 

 included Blackcaps, Willow Wrens, Chiffchaffs, and Wagtails, 

 besides large flocks of Goldfinches, Green and Brown Linnets, 

 Chaflfinches, Siskins, Redpolls, Serin Finches, Great and Blue 

 Tits, and Robins. The presence of many of these birds at 

 the end of December amidst the brilliant evergreens of palm 

 and pine, eucalyptus and pepper-tree, orange, olive and 

 loquat, would have given a spring-like character to the 

 gardens but for one circumstance — they were silent, and 

 perhaps the only real winter songster was the Goldfinch, 

 whose numbers in this land of thistles is legion, and their 

 pretty warbling song incessant. On December 28th I ob- 

 served a few Sand Martins [Cotile riparia) hawking in the 

 sun at Vejer-de-la-Frontera, and during December, January, 

 and February, Swallows {Hirundo rustica) were noticed on 

 several occasions ; but neither of these species winter regu- 

 larly in Spain. 



