238 Mr. D. A. Bannerman on an Ornithological 



The eggs obtained showed little variation : ground-colour 

 pale bluish green, thickly spotted, speckled and occasionally 

 pencilled at the thick end with purplish brown and under- 

 lying markings of lilac ; often a distinct zone is noticeable 

 round the broader end, while the narrow end is sometimes 

 almost unspotted. 



Measurements ; maximum 19 x 13'5 mm. ; minimum 

 15*5 X 13 mm. 



Erythrospiza githaginea amantum. Canarian Trumpeter 

 Bullfinch. 



Erythrospiza githaginea amantum Hart. ; Bannerman, 

 Part T. pp. 43, 50, 52, 54, 56, 65, 85, 89. 



A small but beautiful series of this Desert Bullfinch was 

 collected, the adults being in particularly fine plumage, 

 but young birds in various stages were also obtained. 

 As no account of the juvenile plumage of E. g. amantum 

 appears to have been published, I append the following 

 description of specimens in my collection depicting two of 

 the stages through which the young birds pass. 



The general colour of the fully-fledged young is through- 

 out pale ochraceous brown, brighter on the rump, and 

 becoming paler on the abdomen. The primaries are dark 

 sepia-brown margined with buff, the secondaries being 

 broadly edged, on the outer web, with the same colour. 

 The tail is dark sepia-brown edged with ochraceous buff, 

 the two central rectrices being more deeply margined on 

 both webs than are the outer rectrices. Immature birds 

 entirely lack the rose colour of the adults. The bill is horn- 

 colour and the legs pinkish buff. In very young birds which 

 have not left the nest, we find that the plumage is very 

 different, being of a pinkish-fawn colour and entirely lacking 

 the sandy tinge which is gained after the young have com- 

 menced to fly. The bill, moreover, is very light yellowish 

 horn, which becomes darker as the bird advances in age. 



The Trumpeter Bullfinch is an exceedingly common 

 resident in the most arid parts of Fuerteventura, but is 

 much less abundant in Lanzarote. On Graciosa two small 



