562 T^Ii'- D. A. Bannerman on the 



1)ecu severely tliinned by tlie charcoal-burners, and in many 

 parts utterly destroyed by the Spaniards in the most ruthless 

 fashion. Undergrowth is practically non-existent, and the 

 dead pine-needles on the parched earth made walking very 

 difhcult. These pines are the home of the very beautiful 

 Bhie Chaffinch {Frhig'iUa teydea p'Jatzeki), a subspecies of 

 the form found on the Peak of Tenerife. All my notes 

 on this interesting subspecies will be found under the 

 heading of the bird itself. Most noticeable of all in these 

 forests is the brightly coloured Great Spotted Woodpecker. 

 These birds are very numerous and extremely noisy, making 

 themselves heard at a great distance in the silent woods. 

 Pigeons also are fairly common, but are very wary. One 

 of the most attractive species is the Tenerife Blue Tit; 

 these little birds roam through the trees in small parties, 

 keeping up an incessant chatter as is their wont. Chift- 

 chafis are constantly heard, although Hcrr von Thanner 

 atfirnis that he never met with any in the Pinar. I found 

 Partridges occasionally on the outskirts of the forests; 

 but they preferred the hot sheltered barrancos, where they 

 were quite i)lentiful, especially in the neighbourhood of tlie 

 Cueva de Las Ninas. At this spot, where 1 was encamped 

 in 1910 and 1911, a large Barn-Owl was several times 

 seen by one of the members of my party; on one occasion 

 it alighted on the ground close to the tent, where it could 

 be plainl}^ seen in the brilliant moonlight. Unfortunately 

 it was never obtained. Norfolk Plovers were heard calling 

 at dusk, but were never seen in the daytime. Other species 

 iiotieed in the Pinar Pajonal were Shrikes, Grey Wagtails, 

 Bertlielot's Pi[)its, Blackbirds, and Canaries, all of which 

 were decidedly scarce. Ravens and all the Birds of Prey, on 

 the other hand, Avere common. Besides Vultures, Buzzards, 

 Kites, and Kestrels, Herr von Thanner mentions having 

 seen a single Sparrow-Hawk in the Pinar close to the Cueva 

 de Las Ninas. In my opinion this must have been a chance 

 straggler, as I have never heard of another example. Tlie 

 same collector obtained a Redstart on the 27th of March, in 

 the Pinar de Mogan, but this also is a rare migrant. 



