254 Mr. D. A. Bannerman on an Ornithological 



Apparently Floericke is responsible for a good deal of the 

 confusion which has arisen in the past with regard to the 

 Hoopoe of the Canary Islands. In 1905 he described 

 and named two new subspecies from Tenerife and Gran 

 Canaria alone^ besides apparently recognising U. e. epops 

 and U. e. pallida Erl. as birds of passage occurring in the 

 same islands ! These forms he named (1) U. e. petrosa, 

 and (2) U. e. pulchra. 



Later Polatzekj turning his attention only to the Hoopoes 

 from the eastern islands_, recognised two forms : (a) From 

 Fuerteventura, which he described and named U. e. faerte- 

 ventur(je, and {b) from Lmzarote, which he described but 

 did not name, but which Thanner suggests should be named 

 U. e. lanzarotcR. Polatzek also recognises \J. e. epops from 

 all the islands of the group. 



We have, therefore, the astonishing number of six 

 supposed distinct forms of Upupa in the Archipelago ! 



To deal first with the subspecies described by Floeridce, 

 form 1 may be dismissed as quite unworthy of consideration. 

 Form 2, U. e. pulchra, is said to be " long-beaked, short- 

 winged, and to be a bird oC passage.^^ 



Form a, of Pola zek, named U. e. fuerteventurce, is said to 

 be distinguished from European and African examples by 

 (1) its more vivid colouiing, ^2) its long beak, and (3) by 

 its being a resident bird. Moreover, it is said to be a large 

 species and to be a winter-breeding bird. 



Von Thanner, who has paid special attention to this 

 question, is much more moderate in his conclusions than 

 either of the above-mentioned. This observer, who should 

 be well acquainted with the Hoopoe in all the islands, 

 recognises two forms, the typical Upupa e. epops and Upupa e. 

 pulchra Floericke, with which he considers U. e. fuerteventura 

 Polatzek to be synonymous. In this latter conclusion 1 do 

 not agree with him, for one reason Polatzek notes that 

 U. e. fuerteventura is a large bird, while U. e. pulchra is said 

 to be ''short-winged." 



It will be seen therefore that both Polatzek and 



