6i Mr. D, A. Bannerman on an Ornithological 



ground is covered with hummocks which are capped with 

 closely growing plants, such as ZygopMjllum fontanesii Welb., 

 Salicornia fruticosa Linn., Suceda fruticcsa Forsk., J triplex 

 halimus Linn., and two species of Traganum, while a 

 wide belt of sand dunes fringes the shore. Stony plains, 

 stretching to the north and west, surround the large central 

 crater (Montana de las Agujas), which appears as a moun- 

 tainous mass rising abruptly from the plain in the middle of 

 the island. The coast- line for the most part is very rocky, 

 particularly on the entire western strand, where the enormous 

 boulders contrast strongly with the flat reefs found on the 

 south and east coasts. The whole shore-line constitutes an 

 ideal haven for Waders of all kinds. A small fishing village 

 has been built on the nearest point to Lanzarote, and from 

 the fishermen who live there we received the greatest kind- 

 ness. Fine examples — every one of them — of the best type 

 of Spaniard, as yet utterly unspoilt by civilization, which is 

 more than can be said of many of their brothers on the main 

 islands. 



I made my camp on the extreme south-east point, and from 

 here thoroughly explored the entire island, ascending all four 

 volcanoes. Living as we did in the midst of many hundreds 

 of Petrels from May the 27th till June the 7th, we were 

 able to see for ourselves the great numbers which come here. 

 I was disappointed that the only Petrel breeding on Graciosa 

 during my visit was Puffinus kuhli flavirostris. But these 

 large birds swarm to such an extent that I doubt whether 

 any other species could discover a single nook or cranny 

 in which to deposit their eggs ! The fishermen informed 

 me that Puffinus assimilis baroli nested in one part of the 

 island earlier in the year, arriving in March and leaving 

 in May. All had disappeared at the time of my arrival, 

 although the remains of their nesting-places could be seen in 

 holes far too small for the Yellow-billed Shearwater to have 

 entered. 



The following short list comprises the sum total of the 

 Birds observed in Graciosa during my stay between the 



