56 Mr. D. A. Bannerman on an Ornitholugical 



slopes gradually from the central range of mountains to 

 the sea, and seems to he thickly populated and to have every 

 inch under cultivation. The mountains, which we were 

 approaching, appeared as a large chain of craters running 

 N.E. and S.W., falling at their western extremity due south 

 and culminating in the conspicuous Montana de la Hacha 

 Grande, which rises to 1860 feet. 



We passed through a depression in this range, leaving a 

 huge moon-shaped crater on our left^ and then entered the 

 most fertile country I had yet seen in either of the large 

 eastern islands. The road wound through vineyards and 

 fields of maize and wheat which were planted everywhere 

 with fig-trees and palms. Although the earth seemed still 

 to consist of cinders^ the crops on all sides looked highly 

 prosperous. Birds at once became more numerous, Spanish 

 Sparrows, Linnets, Trumpeter Bullfinches, Pipits, Short- 

 toed Larks, Pale Swifts, Kestrels, and Egyptian Vultures 

 being seen. Another Falcon was noticed just before passing 

 through the mountains. We soon neared the village of 

 Uga, behind which lies a group of huge craters, including 

 the famous Montaiia del Fuego. From these volcanoes an 

 enormous lava-flow several miles in breadth stretches to the 

 sea. Huge blocks of lava are thrown and heaped one upon 

 another without a vestige of green to vary the monotony. 

 This lava was as sharp as a knife and boots were simply 

 ripped off our feet. The character of the country from Uga 

 to Yaiza, where we changed camels, is much the same, but 

 from the latter village to the coast a great difference is 

 noticeable. Fertile fields and vineyards give way to the 

 most utterly barren waste of country it has ever been my lot 

 to cross. On our right was the huge lava-stream of almost 

 coal-black lava with the bare craters rising behind. On 

 our left dried-up, undulating ground, sown with an occa- 

 sional patch of very thin grain. The only birds which 

 seemed to be at all plentiful were Kestrels, which with Pipits 

 and Trumpeter Bullfinches appeared to have the entire waste 

 to themselves. I noticed that Short-toed Larks were 

 entirely absent. At length the path^ which had been running 



