1920.] Birds of the Canary Islands. 531 



Physical characteristics of the islands at the 

 p?-esent day. 



In previous papers I have alluded to the remarkable 

 difference which exists between the western islands and the 

 eastern islands of the Canary Group and shall only briefly 

 describe them here. 



Eastern Group. 



Generally speakinof, the eastern gronp — Fuerteventura, 

 Lanzarote, and their satellites — are of volcanic formation 

 and consequently possessed of desert features. Fuerteven- 

 tura viewed from the sea appears to be more mountainous 

 than is really the case — the higbest ground, a basaltic mass 

 rising to 2770 feet, lying at the southern extremity of an 

 isthmus of shifting sand dunes. The first impression is 

 soon dispelled by a ride througb the island — the hills on 

 closer acquaintance are found to be low and undulating and 

 bound great plains which stretcli mile upon mile almost the 

 entire length of the island. When I first set eyes upon 

 these plains in the mouth of ^laVjthey were purple with the 

 l)loom of SiKsda fruticosa, but otherwise, apart from a meagi'e 

 desert vegetation, they are exceedingly bare and stony. 

 Certainly in the neighbourhood of villages many acres aie 

 sown with wheat, but the ccn-n is usually so poor in quality 

 that it hardh^ serves to ameliorate the parched appearance 

 of the countr3\ Here and there rugged cone-shaped 

 volcanoes stand out conspicuously, rising from 1500 to 

 2200 feet, and viewed from a distance appear almost beauti- 

 ful in colour, the weathered lava, pumice, and scoriae 

 varying in tone from a deep terra-cotta to dull black. As 

 the traveller looks down upon the plains from the central 

 ridge, which forms a brokeu backbone to the island, several 

 villages are spread out before his gaze — the little white 

 houses scattered without plan over the desert waste. Per- 

 chance a cluster of date-palms indicates the homestead of 

 one of the richer landowners, while only a few fig-trees or 

 maybe a solitary ponu'granate mark some poor farmer's 



