1919-] Birds of the Canary Islands. 729 



to what extent they are migratoiy^ but we never saw the 

 slightest evidence of an arrival of Woodcocks.'^ Other 

 authors, Bollo, Polatzek, and von Thanner, keep silent on 

 this all-important point, the truth being that there are 

 no ornithologists living on Palnia and Gomera who could 

 settle the question for us. 



Woodcocks from the Canaries, Madeira, and the Azores 

 are indistinguishable from British examples. They are not 

 smaller in size as has been suggested. 



Range beyond the Archipelayu. 



The Woodcock breeds throughout a great part of Europe 

 and Asia, visiting the Mediterranean countries and north- 

 west Africa in winter, ranging as far south on the mainland 

 as the Atlas Mountains. It is resident in the Azores and 

 in Madeira as well as the Canaries ; this appears to be 

 the limit of its southern range. 



So far as I am aware it has never been recorded on the 

 African continent from south of the Atlas Mountains. 



Gallinago gallinago gallinago. Common Snipe. 



Scolopax galliaago Linn. Syst. Nat. 10th ed. 1758, p. 147 

 — Type locality : Sweden. 



The Common Snipe is a Winter Visitor to certain of the 

 islands and a Bird of Passage in spring and autumn, some- 

 times in large numbers. 



The Snipe is first mentioned from Teuerife by Ledru in 

 1810. A confusion of names has taken place^ amongst the 

 old writers, between the Common and the "Jack" Snipe. 

 Webb and Berthelot (Orn. Canarienne, p. 39) and Bolle (in 

 his first paper — J. f. O. 1855, p. 177) have referred in their 

 works to Scolopax galliniila, i. e. the "' Jack/^ but Bolle, 

 in his final paper (J.f. O. 1858, p. 227), corrects his mistake 

 and says his notes should refer to the Common Snipe. 

 Webb and Berthelot, who had fallen into the same error 

 (Orn. Canarienne, p. 39), recorded the Snipe there as a 

 migrant arriving in fairly large numbers towards the autumn 

 and passing the winter in marshy places, specially mentioning 

 the Laguna plains and the streams which run through the 



