1920.] Birds of the Canary Islands. 333 



Family Strigid^. 



Otus scops scops. Scops Owl. 



Strix scops Linn. Syst. Nat. 10th ed. 1758, p. 92 — Type 

 locality : Italy. 



The status of tlie Scons Owl in the Canary Islands is still 

 doul)tful, but I believe it may eventually have to be included 

 in the authentic list. 



I have been unable to trace any genuine locally killed 

 specimens ; as, however, the species has been quoted freely 

 as breeding in the Canary Islands, I append all that is 

 definitely known to me concerning it. The following notes 

 can only of course refer to the typical bird. 



In 1902 Polatzek saw in Lanzarote two stuffed examples 

 of this Owl ; without any data he could not establish 

 whether they had been killed in Lanzai'ote or not, but he 

 notes that the species is said to occur very seldom in the 

 island. The two specimens mentioned, he adds, were sent 

 from Lanzarote to Tenerife amongst a collection of birds 

 for sale (Orn. Jahrb. 1908, p. 161). Polatzek notes that to 

 his personal knowledge no more were ''killed" up to 1905 

 (he left the Canary Islands for good in September 1904). 

 He remarks in this paper that " Information concerning 

 the breeding of this species does not seem to be well 

 authenticated.'^ 



In 1904 the above-mentioned two Owls were offered for 

 sale to Von Thanner in a market-place in Tenerife. This 

 ornithologist (who is apparently basing his supposition on 

 the opinion of someone else) says that he believes it breeds 

 in Lanzarote in the palm-trees and is convinced it is to be 

 found in Fuerteventura also (Orn. Jahrb. 1905, pp. 60, 61). 

 It is certainly much more likely that 0. scops scops should 

 be found in the Canary Islands than the following species. 



Range. The Scops Owl breeds in southern Europe and 

 north-west Africa, migrating in winter (on the west coast) 

 to Senegambia. 



