( 492 ) 



these eggs were lost afterwards, but we discussed tliem, and remember well how 

 strikintrly they differed from the eggs of Galerit/a crixtata macrorhi/ncha, found the 

 same day, in being smaller, less elongate, and having nnmeruus small dots and spots 

 instead of large blotches. Tliis is a universal difference between eggs of the cristatn 

 and tlieklae forms. 



Bnt forms of G. theklae are also fonnil everywhere else in Algeria. The very 

 dark l]irds of the north {G. t. harterti) are discussed elsewhere, buf the pale birds 

 found on the rocky hill-ranges near Biskra, near El Kantara and northwards to 

 Batiia, have hitherto been regarded as G. theklae superflua .' This is a most pardon- 

 able error, bnt a glance at the series of not less than fifty skins from exact localities, 

 collected by ourselves and Jlr. Fliickiger, show that it is not quite correct, because 

 these birds are all more or less greyish and never go to that reddish extreme so 

 common in Central Tunisia amoug topotypical G. t. siijicrfina. Out of our tifiy 

 birds only three or perhaps four can be said to have any reddish tinge at all, and thus 

 to ajiproach only slightly that coloration so common among trne super/imt. The 

 niiijority of these birds are quite greyish on the back and rump, and tiiis form is 

 much more constant than either the true superjiaa. from Central Tunisia or 

 G. t. ddckleri. This can be said with full confidence, because we have taken special 

 care to get a good series and all possible variations ; we have also the extremes of 

 Fliickiger's spoil, and we have seen these birds daily for weeks during three visits 

 to El Kantara, and often enough about Biskra and Batna, and had we ever seen 

 a reddish bird, we should have been most astonisiied and carried it off as a great 

 treasure. 



As this form cannot be united with either saper/fna or caroUnae, it requires a 

 new name, and we projnise to call it 



Galerida theklae hilgerti 



alter Mr. Carl Hilgert of Ingelheim, whose knowledge of the Crested Larks of 

 N.W. Africa, and whose keen interest in these birds deserves all praise and 

 acknowledgment. 



The type of this sulispecies is a male collected by ourselves at El Kantara, on 

 March 2, 1909, No. 42. 



As we have said before, these birds are rather constant ; at the same time we 

 cannot deny that the twelve skins before us from Batna and Jiambese are all on 

 the dark side, if we may say so. They can, however, not be separated, and also the 

 birds we collected near Boghari and between Boghari and Ujelfa in Central Algeria 

 cannot be sejiarated from G. t. h)h]erti. 



Thus the following forms of the genus Galeritia have been found in Algeria : 



35. Galerida cristata macrorhyncha Tristr. 



Oaleriila iimrrfirlii/iirhi Tii.stram, Ihix IK59, pp. 57, 4'Jfi (Northern liorder of Sahara. Types: 

 Laghouat, November 11 and 12, IKoli). 



Common here and there near Laghouat among the cultivated fields and on the 

 river, among the scanty cultivation and stony stretches surrounding most of the 

 dayats, and (rare) to the east of Ghardaia, in a half sandy half stony plain, where 

 we saw one pair and obtained it. 



For measurements see above. 



