Birds of Gran Canaria. 559 



Division I. — Monte and the Vcya. 



By this I mean tlie country which includes the villages 

 ofTiifira, Santa Brigida, Sau Mateo, Teror, Firgas, Moya, 

 Arucas, and Tamaraceite. In these districts the soil is to a 

 large extent under cultivation — bananas, sugar-cano, oranges, 

 tomatoes, almonds^ vines, and immense quantities of beans 

 constituting the staple produce. Near San ]Mateo fine chestnut 

 -woods stretch for some distance up t!ie slopes towards the 

 Cumbres, and laurels are found in the neighbourhood of 

 Santa Brigida, besides countless other trees of many species. 

 In this zone two famous barraucos are situated, the one at 

 San Mateo and the other at FirgaS; where the vegetation 

 is most luxuriant. Birds here are more plentiful, both in 

 number and in species, than in any other district. Flocks 

 of Goldfinches, Brown Linnets_, Spanish Sparrows, and 

 Canaries are always in evidence, added to which many 

 species, such as tlie Tenerife Blue Tit, Common Chaf- 

 finch, Grey Wagtail, Rock-Sparrow, Berthelot's Pipit, 

 Blackbird, Chiffchafl^, and Blackcap, are ever present in 

 varying numbers. In the neighbourhood of San JMateo 

 numbers of Corn-Buntings are met with, and their hissing 

 notes can be heard on all sides. Occasionally in the winter 

 months small fiocks of Swifts appear, but never remain for 

 very long. Kestrels, Kites, Buzzards, and Egyptian Vultures 

 frequent the hillsides and open valleys. Bavens often pass 

 overhead on their way to the Cumbrts, where they are 

 plentiful. In the thick fields of beans Quail can sometimes 

 be flushed; however, they are not very common and a good 

 dog is almost essential when shooting them. 



One of the rarest and most interestmg species to be found 

 in this zone is the Redbreast (Erithacus rubecula superbus) : 

 it frequents the most secluded spots, such as the deep bar- 

 rauco beyond San Mateo and the thick undergrowth which 

 is found on the slopes above that village. Some large water- 

 tanks are built on this ground, to which many land-birds and 

 several species of waders resort. 



I found Rock-Pigeons very numerous in the caves near 



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