Birds oj Gran Canaria. 06 1 



above tlie sea. Here also I met with a laroe flock of Corn- 

 Buntings ; and 011 one occasion while passing over table- 

 land at 5000 ft. I flushed a pair of Coursers, although these 

 birds are almost entirely confined to the desert country 

 round JMaspalomas in the extreme south-east corner of the 

 island. Berthelot's Pipits are found everywhere in the 

 Cumbres, generally in pairs. Hundreds of Rock-Pigeons 

 make their homes in the caves, and as very few are shot they 

 must be increasing enormously every year. Each morning, 

 long before the mists had dispersed, we were awakened by 

 the melancholy croakings of the Ravens as they flew over 

 the camp. They breed in the high clift's, but I was too early 

 to find their eggs. 



The panorama seen from the summit of the Cumbres is 

 grand in the extreme, and a magnificent view of the snow- 

 capped " Pico de Teide " is obtained. The highest peaks in 

 the Cumlu'es are broken by large stretches of almost desert- 

 land, parched by the sun and covered with loose stones and 

 boulders. Vegetation is confined to the more sheltered 

 barrancos, where certain bushes and grasses seem to flourish 

 despite the character of the soil. The photograph reproduced, 

 which was taken at an altitude of 5110 ft., facing the south- 

 east of the island, gives a fair idea of the country and its 

 rugged aspect; but it must be remcml)ered that when once 

 the summit of the Cumbres is reached progress is not at 

 all difficult, and large stretches of almost flat ground are 

 traversed before the descent is begun on the opposite side. 



Division III. — Tlte Fbiar. 

 (Plate X. fig. 2.) 

 When the Cumbres are crossed the character of the country 

 changes. Barren mountains and deep barrancos give way 

 to fertile valleys and large tracts of pine forest, which stretch 

 as far as the eye can reach towards the south-west coast. 

 The largest of these forests is known as the Pinar Pajonal, 

 and here I camped for a considerable time in 1910 and 191 1, 

 thoroughly exploring its depths and the bird-life contained 

 therein. As can be seen from the photograph, the trees have 



