( 477 ) 



the window, and soon obtained half a dozen. Afterwards we saw flocks almost 

 daily up to the 18th of the month. 



15. Serinus canaria serinus (L.). 



More or less common from Algiers and Bune to Biskra and the other oases at 

 the foot of the Atlas range, but not noticed south of Biskra. Farther west 

 Laghouat is the southern limit of its occurrence. We cannot j)rove that it breeds 

 near Laghouat, and in fact we saw none in the gardens towards the end of April, 

 but flocks were seen outside the town on April 10. 



Hi. Erythrospiza githaginea zedlitzi Neum. 



Erytlirvtipiza (jithaginea zedlitzi Neumann, Ont. Motmt^her. 1907 p. 14.5 (Algeria and Tunisia : Type, 

 Biskra) . 



The specimens from Algeria and Tunisia are generally larger than those from 

 Nubia and Upper Kgypt. While the wings in the males of our small series from 

 Nubia measure about 82-85, those from Algeria and Tunisia have wings ranging 

 from 85 to 90, and only one has a wing of only 84 mm. Gener.illy the bill is also 

 slightly larger in the western form, but the difieronce is small. Looking at the 

 series it is farther evident that the crown of the head is greyer, more ashy, in the 

 Nubian birds, more brownish in those from Algeria and Tnuisia, and the rosy edges 

 to the feathers of the bodj'-phimage are wider in E. g. zedlitzi. 



The "Trnmpeter" is found only sonth of the Atlas. Coming from the north 

 it commences at Boghar: and just north of El Kantara, and is not rare on bare 

 rocky ranges from El Kantara to Biskra, on the Djcbel Bon CThezal, and on rocky 

 hills near Uhetma, Zaatcha, and on the Djebel Amarkhaddou. It is also common 

 at Laghouat. South of Biskra it ceases entirely, and is not fonnd anywhere between 

 Biskra and Touggourt, nor elsewhere in the real desert; it extends, however, 

 south to the Mzab country, where it is not rare abont Ghardaia, among the 

 rocky hills. 



We found the " Trumpeter " generally rather silent, and its often described 

 vibrating trumpet-note is a fine, small sound, which cannot be heard far even 

 when only a moderate wind is blowing. 



The iris is dark brown, feet bright reddish brown, and the bill orange, with 

 the extreme tip brown. 



Nothing has so far been on record about tliis bird from Morocco. Mr. Riggen- 

 bach, however, sent us a male, obtained on June 11 at Tizi in the S.W. Atlas. 

 Its wings are so mnch worn that they cannot be measured ; the beak is very thick, 

 in fact as thick as in E.g. amantium from the Canary Islands. It would be interest- 

 ing to compare a series ! 



(Mr. Neumann mentions as one of the localities '' Constantine." Unless the 

 specimen thus labelled in the Berlin Museum has been a stray bird, it can hardly 

 have come from that town, which is north of its range, and of a very different nature 

 from its real home in South Algeria.) 



17. Fringilla coelebs coelebs L. 



The Enriipean (.'halHnch is known to occur in Algeria and Tunisia, but has 

 always been supposed to be rare. Nobody has proved the ChafHnch to breed in 

 Algeria, though Dixon declared that he found it common near Philippeville as late 



