1919-] Birds (jf the Canary Islands. 293 



"In the winters 1828-30 innumerable flocks of these 

 Thrushes [Turdiis unisicus Linu.) came to Tenerife; they 

 appeared over the sea like swarms of locusts, flying in troops 

 down the streets of Santa Cruz on their way to the gardens, 

 from wliich later they flew off to the Pine woods o£ the 

 mountains'' (J. f. O. 1854, p. 453). 



Meade- Waldo never records them below 1500 feet in 

 Tenerife and found them abundant '• wherever there was 

 suflficient cover." lie noted that a few remained until 

 April (Ibis, 1893, p. 187), and that they swarmed in the 

 mountains in the winter of 1888 (Ibis, 1889, p. 515). 



Von Thanner considers it a regular Bird of Passage in 

 Tenerife (Nov. Zool. xi. 1904, p. 431;, and later mentions 

 that many Son2;-Tlirushes were seen at Vilaflor — a village 

 on the southern slopes of the Peak — during the winter 

 months 1906-7 (Orn. Jahrb. 1908, p. 214). 



From the extreme western islands, Gomera, Palma, and 

 Hierro, the Song-Thrush is not often recorded ; this is 

 probably due to the scarcity of observers rather than to the 

 absence of the bird itself, for it is more than likely to be 

 numerous in winter on these three islands. Meade-Waldo 

 records it from Gomera on 12 February, 1888 (c/. private 

 note-books) . 



In Gran Canaria I have always found it in the Monte 

 District (1580 feet) in small numbers in January (Ibis, 

 1912, p. 598), but it is much more plentiful in the high 

 ridges clothed with pines (3000-4000 feet) in the south of 

 the island. It was particularly numerous in February 1911, 

 and is always remarkably wild, which point is also men- 

 tioned by Meade- Waldo (Ibis, 1889, p. 1). 



In the eastern group, Fnerteventura and Lanzarote, this 

 Thrush is said by Polatzek (Orn. Jahrb, 1909, p. 125), who 

 spent eight montlis in these barren islands, to be " a regular 

 and fi'equent migrant and winter visitor." 



Meade-Waldo saw Thrushes in Fnerteventura on the 

 27th and 28th of March, 1888 (private note-books), and 

 noted that it was not uncommon in the cactus-tiehU (Ibis, 

 1889, p. 509). 



