72 NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXII. 1915. 



side of the protecting bush or .stone. The clutches consist of two or three eggs, 

 hut two are mnch more frequent than three. The eggs are remarkable for their 

 elongate shape, the thin end being nsnally rather well pointed. The colour is 

 variable, the ground-colour being cream-colour, greyish white, pale stoue-grey, or 

 dull pale reddish. The markings are generally fine tips and dots, equally spread 

 over the surface of the egg, or the egg is clouded all over, thus appearing almost 

 uniform. Sometimes the brownish markings are larger and the pale violet-grey 

 deeper-lying spots are obvious between them. The markings sometimes form a 

 well-marked ring round the thick end. Very rarely a greenish tinge is apparetit in 

 these eggs. The shell is stronger and thicker than in eggs of Ammomancs, so that 

 an egg of this Ereviophila will, as a rule, weigh as much as a larger egg of 

 Ammomanes dese7'ti algeriensis, some varieties of which are not with certainty 

 distinguishable from heavy-spotted and large eggs of the Eremnphila. The 

 following are some measurements : 



21 X 15-4, 21-4 X 15-4, 21-4 x 15-2, 21-8 x 15-6, 21-5 x 15-1,22-ox 15-2, 21.5 

 X lo-7, 21-7 X 15-8, 23-2 X 15,24 x 15-1,24 x 16,24- x 15, 22 x 10-1, 23-2 x 15-5, 

 21-2 X 16-4, 23 X 15, 22 x 15-7, 22 x 15, 228 x IS'O, 22-2 x 15, 22-8 x 14-9, 221 

 X 15-7, 22 X 15-2, 21-6 x 148, 22-6 x 156, 227 x 15-5 mm. One egg measuns 

 only 19-7 x 14-8 mm. I should have taken it for an egg of Cnlandrella if it had 

 not been verified, but I found the nest myself on April 30 on the way from the 

 Hassi-Rebib to Ghardaia ; both Hilgert and I saw the bird on the nest. The other 

 egg of the clutch was rather elongated and larger, but it was unfortunately broken 

 by the Arab who handed it to me, while I was sitting on my mehari. Both eggs 

 were very hard set, almost hatching. 



The eggs of the Ercmophila — though generally quite characteristic — run 

 sometimes to extremes which are indistinguishable from certain eggs of Ammoinam's 

 ih\st'rti algei-iensis and Calandrella bracl/i/dncfi/hi nihiiiiiiom, but they are more 

 finely grained and their shell is thicker— peculiarities which are, however, not easily 

 detected in dried empty shells. 



10. Chersophilus diiponti dupouti (V'ieill.) 



In yov. Zool. xvii. p. 4(35 we said that we expected this interesting Lark to 

 inhabit the Hants Plateaux of Algeria. Our expectation was justified and realised. 

 On May 10, travelling in a motor-omnibus from Djelfa to Ain-Oussera, the vehicle 

 stopped for three or four minutes a few kilometres north of Guelt-es-Stel ; there 

 suddenly a cnrious song like " tssii dida diii " struck my ear, and knowing the 

 song of every other bird which could be found on a desolate plain like the [ilace 

 where we stojiped, I knew it could only be that of the coveted Clu'.rsophihis, 

 a conclusion which was at once confirmed by Hilgert, who was acquainted with 

 this Lark from Tunisia. I was rather sorry we could not stay at Guelt-es-Stel, but 

 onr arrangements were made for Ain-Qussera, and so we had to proceed onwards 

 over the dusty plain to that caravanserai, and the very same afternoon we had 

 shot two Cliersnpliilus. 



The country round Ain-Oussera is a clayey plain with innumerable single 

 bushes of Artemisia herba-alba, halfa-grass and other plants, and here and there 

 meagre corn-fields. It had been a dry year here on the plateau, while, on the 

 other hand, the northern Sahara had been blessed with unusually much rain, so that 

 the surroundings of Biskra looked greener than I had ever seen them — more so even 



