Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 479 



the islantl. Moreover, they were exceedingly numerous in 

 one of these places, and young birds fully fledged were 

 flying about with the adults. The Fuerteventura Owl [Strix 

 flammea gracilirostris Hartert) is very uncommon. The 

 natives all know the ' Lechusa/ but say that it is not found 

 in the places which it used to frequent. I hear as much as 

 £b has been offered for a single bird by some collector^ and 

 if this is the case, it is not surprising that they are rare. 

 Of course they are doubtless more common than they 

 appear, as one cannot depend on procuring Owls in a journey 

 as rapid as mine. The Black Oystercatcher was not at 

 Toston — an ideal spot for it, but I expect to. meet with it 

 shortly. Waders were numerous on the reefs. Turnstones 

 in beautiful breeding-plumage, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Ringed 

 Plover, Whimbrel, Redshank, Godwit, and Kentish Plover, 

 tlie latter in swarms and breeding. From Toston I went by 

 sea to La Peiia, and had a very adventurous landing on almost 

 perpendicular cliffs, with a huge sea and a climb which 

 proved very stiff for my wife. My second boat with the 

 cargo capsized further down the coast, but eventually every- 

 thing was rescued, and none of the birdskins got wet. The 

 valley of La Peiia proved my best collecting-ground, and 

 seed-eating birds were here very numerous, especially the 

 Sardinian Warbler [Sylvia m. leucoffastra), which, frequented 

 tlie tamarisk-bushes. Most of the birds in this island are 

 very early breeders, but I have taken some eggs of late 

 broods. I made five base-camps, and we travelled about 

 80 miles, so that I have seen a very considerable part of the 

 island. The bird collection from Fuerteventura numbers 

 133, besides which we have mammals, butterflies, plants, 

 grasses, eggs, and reptiles, so if all goes well I hope to 

 have a fair series by my return. I arrived in this island 

 (Lanzarote) a week ago, landing at Tinosa, and went to the 

 lake called Lago Ja.nuvio, situated on the south-western coast 

 close to the sea — the most desolate place I have ever been 

 in, the only birds seen being Berthelot's Pipits, Hoopoes, 

 Shrikes, Coursers, and Thick-knees. I found a huge flock 



