10 Mr. E. G. Meade-Waldo on some 



islanders for food ! ! ! Many were the interesting excursions 

 about here. I was much struck with the tameness of the 

 birds, and especially of the Thick-knees [(Edicnemus scolopax), 

 which were abundant everywhere, and came even into the 

 villages, running about almost as tame as Fowls^ and would 

 permit an approach to within ten yards. One day I saw an 

 old bird standing close to me, plaintively whistling, and on 

 going up to her found she was standing by two young ones, 

 one of which was much smaller than the other ; she ran 

 away a few yards and stood watching me, — behaviour which 

 seems to me quite extraordinary in this class of birds. The 

 beautiful little Trumpeter Bullfinch {Pyrrhula githaginea) 

 Avas common about all the villages, and had young on the 

 wing by the end of March, whilst many had commenced sit- 

 ting, apparently for the second time ; the long trumpeter-like 

 pipe of the cock struck me very much. 



Nearly every palm tree had its colony of Spanish Spar- 

 rows, most of the wells also harboured numbers. In the 

 same palm trees as the Sparrows there was frequently a pair 

 of Kestrels nesting. Near here only did I see a Stonechat 

 {Pratincola, sp. inc.), that appeared to me at the time unlike 

 any I had seen before ; it w^as not a common bird. They 

 had bred very early, for on March 25th I got a full-grown 

 young bird, very much the colour of a Spotted Flycatcher. 

 I have brought home a pair and a young bird, and on com- 

 paring them find that it is a good new species, its nearest 

 ally being Pratincola horhonica. I hope to give a figure and 

 description of this bird on some future occasion. 



The Short-toed Lark was the commonest bird all over the 

 island, and Berthelot^s Pipit was also exceedingly abundant. 

 Grey Shrikes [Lanius algeriensis) Avere common everywhere, 

 and had their young on the wing. From the same nest they 

 were frequently of two colours, sand-coloured and grey ; I 

 saw what was, apparently, an old bird of the sandy colour. I 

 brought alive to England a young sandy-coloured Shrike, 

 which is now nearly clean moulted, and is a beautiful grey 

 bird, with pure white breast ; he has a decided song, and 

 warbles away by the hour ; he began this accomplishment 



