IO SOME BIRDS OF THE CANARY ISLANDS 



and no boots. Among the passengers was, I think, 

 one of the stoutest little men it has ever been my lot 

 to see. He was very short, and stood up towards the 

 fore part of the vessel, puffing at a cigar and talking in 

 broken English to one of the other passengers. It 

 seemed he had been to most places, including the island 

 of Fuerteventura, about which he was able to give me 

 some information ; he told me that I should find it 

 very barren, and little else but a wilderness of stones. 



"I vas dere," he said, " shooten, last autumn, but 

 few people ever go dere." He knew something of the 

 natural history of the island, and told me what birds I 

 should find there. " Avutarda" he said, " Dat is your 

 Bustard ; Tabobo, your Hoopoe, and Engana^ is your 

 Courser." I asked him the meaning of the word 

 Engana. " See 'ere," he said, taking me by the 

 sleeve and leading me to a clear space on the boat, 

 when he stooped down as far as his figure would permit 

 him to, and ran a little way along the deck. " De boys 

 run after dem, so a little furder, so a little furder, so 

 and den not catch 'em, engana, he cheat, muchachos, 

 de boys, engana muchachos, he cheat de boys." " And 

 the Bustard? Avutarda?" I asked him. He dis- 

 claimed all knowledge of the meaning of this word by 

 putting his head on one side and spreading himself out 

 in a vast shrug. " I am not a Spaniard," he said, and 

 then resumed his place, leaning over the rail at the 

 side of the boat. " But see," he continued, " Dere is 

 Canada, soon ve see de Isleta. Ah, you chust see it ? 

 Veil, across dat low bit of sand is Las Palmas, but ve 

 go round de Isleta ; anoder tree hours, it may be four 

 hours, you never know." 



