568 On the Birds of the Canary Islands. [Ibis, 



from Graciosa. I have myself watched a Thick-knee flying 

 to the former island from Graciosa, although at the time 

 this very bird was breeding close to my camp. The distance 

 is infinitesimal and cannot be taken into consideration. 



Between the seven large islands it seems evident that 

 remarkably little migration takes place of those birds which 

 we include amongst the list of Residents. Of those, how- 

 ever, which have been known to migrate from one island to 

 another within recent years, we must confess to almost 

 complete ignorance. The cases cited (with the possible 

 exception of the Corn Bunting) belong rather to chance 

 migration brought al)out by exceptional circumstances than 

 to a regular seasonal flight from one island to another. 



Lastly, if any veadei-s of this paper should find tliemselves 

 in the Canary Islands witii time on their hards, may I beg 

 them to turn their attention to some of those problems 

 which aie still unsolved, a few of which I have but lightly 

 touched upon in the course of my paper. In particular 

 would the study of migration repay the observer. The 

 island of Allegranza would be an ideal " Heligoland,"" and 

 our knowledge of this fascinating branch of ornithology 

 would, I confidently predict, be increased beyond all expec- 

 tations. 



In the preceding pages I have attempted to describe some 

 of the engrossing problems which the Canaries present — to 

 give to the readers of 'The Ibis' something beyond the 

 " bare lists " of which complaint is so often made. In this 

 " Part" I have attempted to atone for publishing " A List of 

 the Birds of the Canary Islands/' and more especially for 

 having taken up so much valuable space in seven consecutive 

 numbers of our Journal, a crime which weighs heavily on 

 my conscience and for which I here apologise. 



Finally, lest we forget ! I should like to endorse very 

 strongly the statement made by Lieut. -Col. Meinertzhageu 

 in his essay on "Geographical Distribution and Migration," 

 that " no k'iUirig of birds can be justified merely to compile a 

 list of species obtained in a certain locality.'^ A sounder 

 statement was never made. Far too much altention is given 



