(471 ) 



The most interesting birds we found near Hammam R'liira, a well-known bath, 

 celebrated already in Roman times, among mountains covered with pinewoods and 

 extensive vineyards producing excellent wines, were Circaetus gallicus and Eutol- 

 mnetus peiinritu.s, the Booted Eagle, which we observed thoroughly. Here too we 

 stayed longer than we had intended, and could not carry out all our plans, on account 

 of the renewed illness of one of us ; and on the 14th we left Algiers and arrived 

 late next day at Marseilles, after a rough passage. 



This time we brought home 507 birdskiiis. The following notes are therefore 

 based on a material of 1026 birds of our own collecting, in addition to wliich we 

 have some bought from Fliickiger and .Steinbach, and have com))ared many of 

 Tristram's old collection. 



Our special thanks are due to the French authorities, who everywhere showed 

 us the greatest consideration and civility, and most willingly gave every help 

 required ; also to our friend Dr. Nissen, and several other private persons. 



II. LIST OF BIRDS COLLECTED AND OBSERVED. 



1. Corvus corax ting^itanus Irby. 



The Raven is spread all over Algeria, from the northern coast-region to the 

 northern Sahara ; but it is not so common, as far as our observations go, in the 

 mountains of the north, and rarely seen in the fertile plains, while it is very 

 common in the south, and especially on the northern edge of the Sahara. 



C. c. tingitanus does not inhabit the Sahara. It is common in the northern 

 oases, Biskra and others, on the foot of the southernmost mountains of the Atlas 

 system, but it does not extend far south of Biskra, and appears to be absent 

 from Touggourt. In El Oued Ravens are occasionally seen, according to information 

 received, but there can be no doubt that they belong to C. corax umbrinns, which 

 is the true desert Raven. 



Ravens are also found near Laghouat, where they nest on the mountains, 

 and a few in the Dayats, where they have tlu'ir nests on the highest trees. 



A great number of Ravens were seen about the slaughter-houses near 

 Ghardaia. We did not succeed in shooting any, Ijut they seemed to be all 

 C. c. tingitanus, and not tunbrinns. 



We collected only a few Ravens near Biskra. They agree with a good series 

 from Southern Morocco and others from Tunisia. 



Corvus corax corax does not occur in Algeria. It is replaced by C. c. 

 tingitanus, and in the middle of the desert by umhrinus. Statements of the 

 occurrence of C. c. cora.x in Algeria refer probably all to C. c. tingitanus, which was 

 not distinguished from corax until Irby described it as Cormts tingita/ius in 1874. 

 Even as late as 1888 Koenig mistook it for corax. 



3. Coloeus monedula cirtensis subsp. nov. 



We saw a great many Jackdaws in Constantine, where they were breeding 

 in the stupendous gorge of the Ruinmel, but were not able to obtain specimens. 

 A large proportion showed the brown, ap]iarently unmoulted ijuills generally seen 

 in young birds, and they were shining quite rufous in the sun. 



Quite recently Mr. Paul Dechabert got for us a series of ten specimens. Two 

 specimens which we have from Tangier do not belong to the Algerian race. 



