588 Mr. D. A. Bannerman on the 



the sky ■nliich^ even at that immense hciglit, seemed to stand 

 out against the few Egyptian Vultures and Kites which were 

 to be seen. I have little doubt that this was a Sea-Eagle 

 (Haliaetus albicilla), as stragglers o£ that species occasion- 

 ally visit the Canary Islands. The bird came considerably 

 nearer to me than when I first observed it, and I was able 

 to watch its evolutions for some time through strong Zeiss 

 glasses. Such an occurrence in Gran Canaria is very rare, 

 and I have not seen an example siuce. 



BuTEO BUTEO iNSULARUM. Buzzard. 



Buteo buteo insularum Floericke, Mitteil. osterr. Reichsb. 

 iii. 1903, p. 6i'S- Thanner, Orn. Jahrb. xxi. p. 88 (1910). 



Buteo buteo subsp. ?, Polatzek, Orn. Jahrb. 1908, p. 111. 



I have been unable to see Floericke's description of this 

 subspecies. 



In the Cumbres and the south of the island the Buzzard 

 is fairly plentiful. I have never met with any of these 

 birds lower than the Santa Brigida in the north. At the 

 latter place, however, a pair were generally to be found in 

 the Vega, and their shrill whistling cry could be heard 

 frequently as they hunted the sides of the immense barranco 

 below the picturesque Spanish town. To obtain specimens 

 it is necessary to spend a few days encamped on the 

 *^ Cumbres,'^ where, if one is lucky, a few chance shots may 

 be obtained. They are very wary, and are fond of the most 

 inaecessil)le rocks in this Avild stretch of mountainous 

 country. A resident species throughout the year, the 

 numbers are increased occasionally by an influx of migrants. 



Falco peregrinus. Peregrine Falcon. 



Peregrine Falcon, Tristram, Ibis, 1889, p. 17. 



Falco pereffrinus Thanner, Orn. Jahrlx xxi. p. 87 (1910). 



There are two male specimens of the Peregrine Falcon in 

 the Las Palmas Museum, said to have been shot near Firgas. 

 At the present time this species is almost exterminated in 

 Gran Canaria, ])ut Herr von Thanner saw a male example at 

 Maspalomas in 1909, and mentions that there was a nest 

 inland. Dr. Tristram saw a single bird close to the Sitio de 



