THE NORTH COAST OF TENERIFE 83 



passing over almost every yard of the ground, that the 

 nests are naturally discovered, and when discovered, 

 destroyed. Their natural enemies are few, save in the 

 wooded districts on the mountains, where there are 

 many Sparrow Hawks. As a rule the birds of prey 

 are more of scavengers than hunters, and the Peregrine 

 Falcon, a bird whose requirements would seem to be 

 met in every way in this island, appeared to be con- 

 spicuous by its absence. A friend of mine, who lived 

 at Las Palmas, in Grand Canary, told me that a few 

 years ago he saw a pair of these birds near the town ; 

 one of them stooped at, and killed, a pigeon out of a 

 flock of those birds, which fell to the ground, but was 

 immediately seized upon by some Vultures, so the 

 Falcons had to kill again for themselves. 



Kestrels are very common in Tenerife, and it is 

 rarely that one or more of these birds is not in the air, 

 hovering over the dry rocky ground in search of lizards, 

 or above the water tanks, in the neighbourhood of which 

 they sometimes pounce on one of the green frogs which 

 are so numerous there. These frogs may often be seen 

 during the daytime among the foliage of the rose trees, 

 the leaves of which they simulate in colour ; they make 

 a dismal and incessant croaking after sundown. 



Tenerife can boast of possessing several of our most 

 attractive song-birds, conspicuous among which are the 

 Blackcap, or Capirote, as the islanders call it, and the 

 ChiffchafT. To these must be added the Canaries, which 

 sing constantly in the orchards and in the trees along 

 the roadside ; while in the wooded and more secluded 

 barrancas the intermittent notes of the Blackbird, deep 

 and mournful, are often the only sounds to be heard. 



