1919-] ' Birds of the Canary Islands. 461 



repute wlio has visited the islands, added to my own obser- 

 vations, I have been able to form definite conclusions as to 

 its arrival and departure. 



M. m. brelimorum arrives in the Canaries at the earliest 

 during the first week in January, but usually the main 

 body airives in February. The principal breeding-time is 

 April and May, but second broods are probably reared, which 

 accounts for young birds having been taken by Bolle as late 

 as the 10th of July. The Swifts remain in the islands during 

 August, but in September, or at the very latest in early 

 Octol)er, they take their departure. Meade-Waldo recoi'ds 

 that ''a very feu Swifts pass the winter in Tenerife/' which 

 is quite possiljle should the weather be particularly warm. 

 From all accounts the winter climate of the Canaries seems 

 to be cooler than in former years, which may account for my 

 never once having seen the Pale Swift in the islands during 

 October, November, or December of several years. 



Brehm's Pale Swift is by far the commonest member of 

 the genus in the Archipelago and, unlike the Black Swift, 

 is found in all the islands, though it must be considered a 

 rare breeding Inrd in Lanzarote. 



The following notes taken from the diaries of various 

 ornithologists are arranged under the headings of the 

 various islands : — 



Western Group. 

 Tenerife. 



" I observed several the day I landed [in TenerifeJ 4th February, 



1887." (Savile Reid, Ibfs, 1887, p. 434.) 

 "A very few Swifts pass the winter in Tenerife; large numbers 



arrived early in February." (Meade-Waldo, Ibis, 1889, p. 4.) 

 "It usually arrives early in the spring and is most common near the 



coast." (Meade-Waldo, Ibis, 1893, p. 195.) 

 29 January, 1888. "Appears to be an arrival of Swifts, a change 

 in the weather, heavy rain, snow on all the mountains down to 

 4000 feet, and temperature in morning 54° rising to 60° in the 

 day." (Meade-Waldo, MS. note-boolvs.) 

 4 February, 1888. "Shot Swift [C m. hrehmorum'] with testes 



fully developed at Orotava." (Meade-Waldo, MS. note-books.) 

 "Not as frequent as the Black Swift — found iu Tenerife near Santa 

 Cruz and Laguua. I saw also a few east of Vilafior in July; 



') ic ') 



^^ rk. i^ 



