Birds of Gran. Canaria. 623 



ill company with Short-toed Larks, and the sudden influx of 

 both these usually uncommon species was most noticeable. 



The true home of this bird, as I discovered during my 

 last expedition, is the desert tract which lies between 

 Carrisal and Maspalomas. In this district I found it fairly- 

 plentiful, wandering over the plaius in little parties of 

 from ten to fifteen. It took very little notice of human 

 beings, and I could ride within half a dozen yards of a 

 flock before they would take to flight. It must breed here 

 in very large numbers annually, although I was a little 

 too early this year (1912) to find the eggs. The previous 

 year, while searching the ground to the east of the golf- 

 links on March 18th, I found a nest of this Bullfinch placed 

 in a hollow cup in the ground under the shelter of a stone ; 

 it contained four eggs, the ground-colour of which was 

 very light blue thinly spotted with chocolate, and with a 

 cluster of chocolate markings at the thick end. 



This entire nest was stolen shortly afterwards hy the 

 little Spanish boys, who seem to spend all their time 

 searching for and destroying nests, eggs, and young birds 

 of every species. In the neighbourhood of Las Palraas, 

 at any rate, very few birds can rear their young in peace 

 without molestation of some kind from these human pests. 

 The boys are marvellously quick at finding nests, and their 

 eyesight for detecting birds such as the "Thicknee" is little 

 short of miraculous. 



ACANTHIS CANNABINA NANA. BrOWU LiuUCt. 



Cannabina cannabina nana Tschusi, Oru. Monatsb. 1901, 

 p. 130*. 



Acanlhis cannabina meade-ivaldoi Ilartert, Nov. Zool. 

 1901, p. 323. 



Acanthis ca?inabina nana Hartert, Viig. Pal. Faun. i. p. 75 

 (1910); Thanner, Orn. Jahrb. xxi. p. 97 (1910). 



Between San Mateo and Teror. 23rd Dec. '08. 

 Las Palmas. 30th Dec. '08. 

 Santa Brigida. -ith Jan. '09. 

 Monte. 16th Jan. '10. 



2x2 



