﻿observed 
  in 
  the 
  Canary 
  Islands. 
  203 
  

  

  105. 
  CuRsoRius 
  GALLicus. 
  Cream-coloured 
  Courser. 
  

   {Engano 
  muchachos.) 
  

  

  The 
  Courser 
  is 
  common 
  and 
  resident 
  in 
  Fuerteventura 
  

   and 
  LanzarotBj 
  and 
  occasionally 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  Gran 
  Canaria. 
  

   About 
  1000 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  poor 
  bird 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  

   of 
  1891 
  in 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Fuerteventura 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  Europe, 
  

   by 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  to 
  England. 
  Of 
  course 
  nearly 
  

   double 
  the 
  number 
  were 
  destroyed, 
  as 
  the 
  eggs 
  that 
  were 
  

   incubated 
  would 
  all 
  be 
  thrown 
  away. 
  It 
  is 
  sincerely 
  to 
  be 
  

   hoped 
  that 
  the 
  market 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  glutted, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  will 
  have 
  so 
  fallen 
  in 
  value 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  worth 
  taking 
  

   again. 
  At 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  two 
  and 
  even 
  three 
  pesetas 
  apiece, 
  

   that 
  was 
  offered 
  for 
  them 
  out 
  there, 
  nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  popu- 
  

   lation 
  (including, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  assured, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  priests) 
  

   turned 
  out 
  egging, 
  and 
  probably 
  pretty 
  well 
  cleared 
  the 
  

   whole 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  for 
  that 
  season. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  there 
  may 
  

   have 
  been 
  an 
  extra 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  in 
  1891, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  three 
  

   breeding-seasons 
  that 
  I 
  spent 
  in 
  the 
  island, 
  though 
  there 
  

   were 
  numbers 
  of 
  birds, 
  not 
  nearly 
  all 
  were 
  breeding. 
  Pos- 
  

   sibly 
  after 
  the 
  very 
  wet 
  winter 
  of 
  1890-91 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  greater 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  food, 
  and 
  so 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  pairs 
  nested 
  . 
  

   It 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  that 
  do 
  not 
  

   breed, 
  as 
  a 
  cock 
  of 
  a 
  breeding-pair 
  that 
  was 
  shot 
  was 
  in 
  half- 
  

   immature 
  plumage. 
  

  

  106. 
  Squatarola 
  helvetica. 
  Grey 
  Plover. 
  [Zarapito.) 
  

   A 
  regular 
  winter 
  visitor. 
  Many 
  winter 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  

  

  islands. 
  

  

  107. 
  ^GiALiTis 
  CANTiANA. 
  Kentish 
  Plover. 
  [Patito.) 
  

   Abundant 
  and 
  resident 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  islands, 
  and 
  breeding 
  

  

  in 
  suitable 
  places 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  islands. 
  

  

  108. 
  JjIgialitis 
  hiaticula. 
  Ringed 
  Plover. 
  [Patito.) 
  

   A 
  regular 
  visitor 
  in 
  spring 
  and 
  autumn 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  islands. 
  

  

  109. 
  EUDROMIAS 
  MORINELLUS. 
  Dottcrcl. 
  

  

  An 
  occasional 
  visitor 
  in 
  flocks 
  to 
  the 
  Laguna 
  plaius. 
  

  

  110. 
  Vanellus 
  cristatus. 
  Lapwing. 
  [Ave 
  fria.) 
  

  

  A 
  regular 
  winter 
  visitor, 
  occasionally 
  in 
  large 
  flocks. 
  1 
  

   have 
  seen 
  it 
  nivsclf 
  onlv 
  in 
  Tenerifc 
  and 
  Fuerteventura. 
  

  

  