(474) 



6. Sturnus vulgaris vulgaris L. 



Ooramon Starlings winter in (jnantities in Algeria, where we met with them 

 at Hammam Meskontine and Biskra, in Febrnary and March I'ms, lODU, and 

 1011. AVe even came across a flock as far south as Bordj Chegga, sonth of 

 Biskra, on March ,'(!, and shot two specimens. 



7. Sturnus unicolor Temm. 

 It is strange that this bird, which is common in many parts of Tunisia and 

 Morocco, should be rare in Algeria. Wc only saw it in the Dayats betwei'u 

 Laghouat and Ghardaia. They were very rare and shy, iuid we were able to 

 shoot only two specimens. These agree witji others from Monicco and S. Euro|)e. 



8. Oriolus oriolus oriolus (L.) 



Orioles pass through Algeria in great numbers, and some appear to breed 

 in the mountain forests of the north. 



About the middle of April many passed through Batna, and between the 

 .ot.h and l"2tli of that month through Laglujuat in great luunbers. On April 18 

 we shot a male abont halfway between Biskra and Tonggourt. On April "sIS 

 Teat numbers frequented the gardens and jilantations of Biskra, and an Italian 

 poacher shot dozens of them. 



Thev must, however, breed in the north, for we obtained an adult female 

 at Hammam Meskontine on May -U. It was in good condition, though the 

 ovary was quite small. 



0. Coccothraustes coccotliraustes buvryi ( 'ub. 



CnrrnthriiiiKles Biirrii'i Cabauis. Juiini.f. Oni. 1»G2. p. 2511 (Algerien). 



The Hawfinch of Algeria has been separated by C'abanis, as above, in 18(52, 

 but this description has been overlooked until 1903 (Hartert, Vog. pal. Fauna, i. 

 p. 57). The next ornithologist who referred to this form was Mr. Witherby {This, 

 1905, p. 192). When writing about the distinctness of C. r. burn// Hartert had 

 only examined two females, so rare was this form in Euro])ean collections. 



The differences of C. c. hucnji from (\ c. coccothraustes are as follows : 



The bill is smaller, i.e. shorter, and therefore it appears to be less pointed. 

 Only quite exceptionally examples from Europe have bills with the cnimen as 

 short as in C. c. buvn/i. The difierence in the colour of the crown and back is 

 not constant, though generally it is slightly less dark in C. c. buvryi. The rump 

 and upper tail-coverts, on the other hand, are considerably paler, much less rnfous, 

 and often quite greyish, especially the rump. The white markings of the primaries 

 are generally much smaller — partly because the quills themselves are so much 

 shorter — but the ditfereuces are not always so important as shown in the figure 

 on p. 192 of the Ibis for 1905, because the extent of these white patches varies 

 very considerably both in European and Algerian specimens. 



The difference in the colour of the underside is rather striking, C. c. cocco- 

 thraustes being darker, and the flanks more rut'ous, the latter being more vinous 

 or more greyish in C. c. btirr>/i. The extent of the white on the rectrices is not 

 always less than in C. c. coccothraustes — in fact it is often fully as wide as in 

 European birds. 



