47G Captain II. Lynes — Bird-notes 



ascend to tlie higher regions ; a male, however, used io 

 sing constantly to his (probably) sitting mate close to our 

 "Cortijo'^ at 6000 ft. In song and courting this species 

 resembles M. saxatilis, and we have also observed the 

 *' solitario " singing, with that loose-jointed " butterfly ^' 

 flight characteristic of Sylvia at courting time. 



* CEnanthe CENANTiiE. Wlicatear. 



San Cristobal. — In our March visit a few Common 

 Wheatears, obviously migrants, were seen on bare grass 

 patches at 4000 ft., but none Avere observed in April ; 

 the elevation and lack of moorland in this Serrania are 

 evidently unsuitable to breeding requirements. 



Sierra Nevada. — Wheatears, males predominating, were 

 plentiful in suitable places from 4000 ft. up to the snow- 

 Jimit; but whereas the birds seen below the upper zone 

 were evidently merely passing migrants — parties seen one 

 day and gone the next — those spread out over the upland 

 slopes between 6000 and 8000 ft. by many indications 

 gave the impression of preparing to nest there. 



On the 29th of April the large majority of these were males, 

 but by the 2ud of May a number of females had arrived and 

 were being courted both in song and gesture by the males. 



It seemed as if the males, having arrived in advance, had 

 selected their respective territories as soon as they were free 

 of snow, and were now in the process of choosing their 

 partners. 



It is worthy of note that a few of the males were in 

 a plumage somewhat resembling that of the autumn. One 

 such specimen, obtained on April 29th, had the testes 

 partially enlarged, but less so than in a full-plumaged male 

 shot the same day. 



[Three skins (males. Sierra Nevada, April 29th and 30th, 

 1910) brought home are very interesting ; and it is most 

 unfortunate that it cannot be proved that these birds were 

 actually nesting in the Sierra Nevada, altliough all Lynes's 

 observations point to the fact that they were breeding birds 

 The foreheads of these specimens have more white than in 



