3O SOME BIRDS OF THE CANARY ISLANDS 



which we saw a certain number during our stay in 

 the island. I think they were more numerous in the 

 neighbourhood of the sea shore than they were inland, 

 consequently we did not meet with them very fre- 

 quently. I saw these birds also on a sandy piece of 

 ground near the Golf links above Las Palmas in Grand 

 Canary ; there was a small flock of them feeding, and 



I might very likely have passed them over had not 

 their peculiar cry attracted my attention. This cry has 

 a far-away sound, and on first hearing it I took it 

 to be the bark of a dog only just audible in the dis- 

 tance. After this had been repeated I then found that 

 it came from the ground only a few yards in front of 

 me, and on looking down I saw six or seven of these 

 small birds. They were exactly the colour of the sandy 

 ground on which they were feeding, and now and then 

 one of them would hop up on to a stone ; as I 

 approached them they flew away to a short distance. 

 Unlike most birds of protective colouration, the Trum- 

 peter Bullfinches do not avail themselves of their simi- 

 larity to their surroundings in choosing a nesting-site, 

 for the only nest of this species that I found was placed 

 in the roof of a tumble-down shed, and was well con- 

 cealed. The eggs, four in number, were very similar 

 to those of our Bullfinch in England, but were rather 

 smaller. 



Before I came to Fuerteventura I was regaled with 

 stories of missionaries and others who had barely escaped 

 with their lives, on account of being attacked by the 

 wild camels which lived on the island, one lady assuring 

 me that a missionary whom she knew had been chased 



II nearly the whole length of the island," a distance, by 



