1919-] Birds of the Canary Islands. 315 



Family Hirundinid^. 



Hirundo rustica rustica. Swallow. 



Hiniiulo rustica Liiiu. Syst. Nat. lOtli ed. 1758, p. 191 — 

 Type locality : Sweden. 



The Swallow is a regular Bird of Passage in spring and 

 autumn, but is especially numerous in spring. 



The earliest record of its arrival is 5 February, a very 

 early date, but the majority appear during the latter part of 

 April, and are more or less plentiful until the end of June. 

 I do not know whether the birds remain long in the islands 

 or whether one batch of migrants succeeds another, which 

 take their place while the first batch proceed on their 

 journey north, and in this way give the impression that the 

 same birds which arrived in April are still present at the end 

 of June. I think, however, that Meade-Waldo was right 

 when he concluded that Swallows never remained for long in 

 the islands (Ibis, 1893, p. 192). I have never been in the 

 islands in July and have no records of any in August, 

 though stragglers may soa^etimes pass through after the 

 main bod}^ have long departed. In this connection it is 

 worth noting that when on board ship on 15 August, 1908, 

 in hit. 13° 2' N., 17° 32' W., and about 40 miles from the 

 African coast, three Swallows came aboard. These birds'^, 

 had they continued, their course and survived, would very 

 possibly have found their way to the Canary Islands. 



Swallows do not breed in the islands, and I cannot find a 

 single instance of their having done so of late years. The 

 only authoritj' for their ever having done so is F. Du Cane 

 Godman, who remarks (Ibis, 1872, p. 171) that in the spring 

 of 1871 he " found the Swallow breeding abundantly in 

 [the] .... Canaries." Floericke mentions the same fact, 

 but his statements are proverbially untrustworthy (A. d. 

 Heimat d. Kanarienvog. 1905). 



Good ornithologist as he was, I cannot help thinking 

 that Godman was mistaken in believing the Swallow nested 

 * The skins are in the British Museuiu. 



