1919-] Birds of the Canary Islands. 719 



Meade- Waldo is again resixjnsible for the identiticatiou ; 

 he saw three birds in tlie winter in Tenerife, " two alive 

 and one that had just been shot'' (Ibis, 1889, p, 4). He 

 recorded it in his list (Ibis, 1893, p. 198) as an '^ occasional 

 straggler," but as it has not been noted since can only be 

 included here as a rare visitor. 



Ranije. The Buft'-backed Heron is found in southern 

 Europe, south-west Asia, and throughout Africa ; its 

 occurrence in oceanic islands can only be put down to 

 chance. 



Ardeola ralloides ralloides. Squacco Heron. 



Ardea ralloides Scopoli, Annus I. Hist. Nat. 1769, p. 88 

 — Type locality : Carniola. 



The Squacco Heron, like the last- mentioned species 

 (J. i. ibis), is a Rare Visitor to the islands, but has 

 been recorded on more occasions than the Buff-backed 

 Heron. 



It is mentioned in 1841 by Webb and Berthelot as '^ De 

 passage accidentel" (Orn. Canarienne, p. 36). Bolle records 

 having seen a specimen in the Leon collection in Gran 

 Canaria (J. f. 0. 1857, p. 338). Cabrera in 1893 ( Catalogo, 

 p. 62) records shooting two males uearLaguna : and Meade- 

 Waldo likewise mentions it as an "occasional straggler" 

 to Tenerife (Ibis, 1893, p. 198), and shot a specimen at 

 Orotava on the 7th of July, 1890, which I have examined in 

 the British Museum collection. 



Range. The Squacco Heron is an inhabitant ol: the 

 Mediteiranean countries, extending to the Caspian Sea 

 in southern Euro})e. It is also resident throughout 

 Africa. Its occurrence in the Canary and Azores Archi- 

 pelagoes is probably occasioned by exceptional weather 

 conditions. 



Ixobrychus minutus minutus. Little Bittern. 

 Ardea niinuta Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. 1766, p. 210 — 

 Type locality : Switzerland. 



The Little Bittern is another Rare Visitor to the islands. 



