Expedition to the Eastern Canary Islands. 255 



von Thanner believe that the bird, which undoubtedly 

 breeds in the winter months in Fuerteventura and on the 

 coasts of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, is separable from the 

 typical race. 



A careful survey of the material before me led me at first 

 to believe that Polatzek and von Thanner were right in this 

 deduction. At first sight there certainly appeared to be two 

 forms represented. Out of 20 birds collected in Tenerife, 

 Gran Canaria, and the eastern islands in February, March, 

 April, and May, eight specimens had the plumage of the 

 upper parts distinctly more vinaceous than the remainder, 

 with bills measuring 52-62 mm., collected in the same 

 islands in the same four months of the year. The 

 remaining twelve examples are much '' duller" in general 

 colouring, and their bills measure 52-60 mm., but the average 

 length is distinctly shorter than in the first eight bright- 

 coloured birds. Now is it possible that two perfectly distinct 

 forms of Upupa should be found side by side in the same four 

 islands at the same time of year, both of which breed in the 

 islands, and in the eastern group at any rate are found 

 living under exactly the same conditions ? Personally, 1 do 

 . not consider it possible, and until very much more convincing 

 arguments are forthcoming in favour of two distinct races in 

 the Archipelago, I prefer to class all the Hoopoes under the 

 one head — Upupa epnps epops Linn. The bright colouring 

 of the plumage exhibited in certain birds I consider to be 

 largely seasonal. An examination of a large series of 

 U. e. epops from other parts of the world shows that they 

 are subject to great variation in colour as well as, to a 

 certain extent, in the length of the bill, which latter dis- 

 crepancy may possibly be accounted for by age. It would 

 be interesting to learn the opinions on this subject of the 

 several eminent foreign Ornithologists who have recently 

 been working on the Avifauna of the Canary Islands. 



The migrations of the Hoopoe in the Canary Archipelago 

 are not very clearly understood, but it seems fairly evident 

 that in the eastern islands some Hoopoes remain throughout 



