1920.] Bi7'ds of the Canary Islands. 359 



Serra (Oruithologia Canaria). Cabrera iucludes it on the 

 authority of these two authors. 



Unfortunately it is erroneously stated to occur occasionally 

 in the Canary Islands in the General Distribution of 

 R. aquaticus, given in the B. O. U. List of British Birds, 

 1915, p. 301 — a statement which needs correction in the 

 next edition. 



Pterocles alchata. Long-tailed Sand-Grouse. 



The Long-tailed Sand-Grouse has been quoted by a 

 number of authors as having occurred in the Canary Islands. 

 Viera is, I believe, the first to mention it. It certainly is 

 not found in the Archipelago at the present day, and I doubt 

 very much whether it has ever been obtained as alleged by 

 Cabrera, who wrote (Catalogo, 1893, p. 54) " it is a species 

 which is met with only in the sandy plains of Fuerteventura," 

 He does not appear to have had a specimen in his collection, 

 and is probably only quoting from Viera's account. Bolle 

 scouts the idea entirely (J. f. O. 1857, p. 333). 



Polatzek, commenting on Cabrera's note, remarks that 

 the only sandy plains in Fuerteventura are on the south of 

 the island. He adds nothing in support of the bird's 

 occurrence (Orn. Jahrb. 1909, p. 20). 



In Ledru's List of the Birds of Tenerife, published in 

 1810, vol. i. p. 186, Mons. Sounini adds a note to the 

 effect that " Le Faisan " {Phasianus colchicus) is common 

 in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (!) Needless to say the 

 Pheasant has never been heard of in either of these islands, 

 but it is possible that later writers, knowing that a species 

 of Sand-Grouse inhabited Fuerteventura, should have jumped 

 to the conclusion that it was P. alchata, this being the 

 bird which Sonnini believed to be a Pheasant. 



Savile Reid (Ibis, 1888, p. 77) gives the most likely 

 explanation of what may have given rise to the rumour. 



Viera (Diccionario de Historia Natural de las islas Cana- 

 rias, p. 306) gives a description of a Pterocles (which he calls 

 Lag opus pyreuaica) of which the following is a translation : 

 " A bird of the family of the Gallinules, and of the size of a 



