410 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of wonder, the Pardellas, or Mediterranean Shearwaters (Puffinus 

 kuhli), by far the most numerous species on the island, being 

 especially bold and noisy in their greeting. The high volcanic 

 rocks surrounding the south bay are full of miniature caves, in 

 most of which a pair of Pardellas had their home, and towards 

 sunset the whole population turned out, wheeling and squealing 

 round our encampment, and offering the most tempting rocketing 

 shots as they swept over the high rocks above us. 



The male, in a harsh guttural voice, cries, " ia-gow-a-gow-a- 

 gow," and the female chimes in, "ia-ia-ia"; and it may be 

 imagined that with thousands of these miscreants circling close 

 round our tent during the night, tired as we were, sleep was 

 almost impossible on the first evening of our stay. 



Our daily programme varied little ; we got up as soon as 

 it was light, about five o'clock, and after a swim in South Bay, 

 dressed and breakfasted. As soon as the men's work had been 

 settled, we started off on a collecting tour till twelve o'clock, when 

 we dined ; after a pipe we again went on the prowl till it was time 

 for supper. In this way we generally found time for about ten 

 hours' steady collecting, and kept our taxidermist well employed 

 in spite of all the help we could give him. 



We generally had our evening meal about six o'clock, so as to 

 get it over before sunset, when it soon became dark ; and during 

 the whole of our visit we used every night to be mobbed by these 

 noisy Pardellas. " The march past," as we called it, generally 

 commenced about six, and continued with unabated zest till we 

 turned in about 10.30 and heard no more. In spite of the 

 tempting shots they offered, we killed very few of these birds, 

 only such as we required for specimens ; but our men were not so 

 sparing, for they used every day to catch numbers for food (they 

 skinned and boiled them !), and took back sacks full to Las 

 Palmas, where, when salted, they are much esteemed by the 

 Spanish fishermen. 



The Pardella breeds late, and though during the daytime we 

 found most of the birds in pairs in their rocky nesting chambers, 

 we never procured a single egg; as already mentioned, enormous 

 numbers of the young are collected by the Portuguese fishermen 

 in the autumn, being valued for their oil and downy feathers. 

 The happy couples greatly resent being disturbed in their nesting 

 cavities, and, unless extracted without hesitation, retaliate by 



