74 Mr. D. A. Bannerraan on an Ornithological 



here and there by small barrancos. On this low ground 

 several desert plants flourish^ Launcea spinosa, Snada fruti- 

 cosa, Mesembryanthnnum nodijiorum, etc. ; but for the most 

 part the whole island is very barren. A single water-hole^ 

 entirely dependent on the rainfall for its supply, constitutes 

 the only drinking-water to be found. Apart from two 

 rude stone huts built as rest-bonses by the fishermen who 

 occasionally land here_, the island is without habitation. 



The coast-line is composed of precipitous cliffs, with the 

 exception of the basin on the extreme north, and the ridges 

 on the south-east and south-vyest. The latter exhibit traces of 

 a recent land-slide, and there is evidence that another heavy 

 fall will take place on the highest part of the ridge in the 

 near future. The result of these land-falls is that the shore- 

 line is strewn with immense boulders, under which Bulweria 

 bulweri was found breeding. To my mind the peculiar 

 physical characters of Montaiia Clara are solely responsible 

 for the fact that this island (though considerably smaller 

 than Graciosa or Allegranza) is the breeding-place of three, 

 if not four, species of Petrels. 



Two events of considerable interest took place during my 

 stay on Montaiia Clara. The first was the discovery of a 

 new Chat {Saocicola* dacotice murielce) which we at first took 

 to be typical Saooicola d. dacotice in full autumn-plumage. On 

 our return to England, however, further examination proved 

 this to be a new subspecies, which I have described shortly in 

 ihe Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, vol. xxxiii. 

 1913, p. Sr. I have thought it advisable to include in 

 this paper a more minute description of the bird in question, 

 together with an excellently coloured drawing by Mr. 

 Gronvold (PI. V.) depicting the adult male in full autumn- 

 plumage and an immature bird of the year. Future workers 

 should therefore have no difficulty in distinguishing between 

 the two geographical races of this Sascicola. It must here 

 be noted that this new Chat again turned up in considerable 

 numbers in the island of Allegranza, and altogether a com- 

 plete series was obtained. 



* Pratincola auct. 



