C6 ■ UoVlTATES ZOOLOGICAE XXlI. 1915. 



the 2Cth we had a hailstorm of pieces of ice generally measuring up to 55 by 40 mm. 

 Fortunately they did not fall thick at Hammam Meskontine, while one of the 

 mountain forests consisting of oak bushes and wild olives was quite destroyed, and 

 the hailstones fell so thick up there that the hillside looked white from the 

 distance. 



Early in June we returned to England, and thus ended our sixth journey to 

 Algeria — full of more or less pleasant reminiscences, and not without results. 



II. NOTES ON SOME OF THE BIRDS AND THEIR NEST8 AND 



EGGS. 



1. Corvus corax ruficoUis Less. 



Cf. Nui'. Zool. XX. p. 37. 



This is the only kind of Raven found in the M'zab country. It nests on 

 terebinth trees in the large oueds and in the dayats between Laghouat and Ghardaia, 

 and also on rocks. We obtained two clutches, both from terebinth trees, one of 

 four and one of three eggs, both clutches partially incubated, on April 18 and 20. 

 The eggs are quite like those of C. corax tingitanus, but smaller, especially less 

 wide. Our two clutches measure 47 x 30-5, 45-4 x 303, and 43-3 x 29 5 ; 45x29, 

 44 X 28-6, 42-4 x 28-6, and 39-3 x 28 mm. 



A clntch of C. corax tingitanus taken by Hilgert from a rock near Biskra on 

 April 4 measures 48-5 x 32, 44-9 x 33-1, and 44'2 x 32'7 mm. 



In the Oned-N(ja we found also a nest in a terebinth tree with three young 

 birds. As these Ravens were very shy, and we saw no other way of getting a 

 pair, I built a sort of hut of branches of Zizyphus and Retam, with a seat of 

 Harmal, and waited until I had shot both birds, a beautiful pair of this desert 

 Raven. In order to save the young birds from a cruel death I sent a boy up 

 to bring them down ; he succeeded only in getting two — which he accepted for 

 eating with great pleasure — saying the third one could already fly and he was 

 unable to catch it. Passing the tree again a couple of days after, I was aston- 

 ished to see two old Ravens circling round, and afterwards disappearing into the 

 tree which contained the nest. So the improvised hut was again resorted to for 

 observation, and there remained no doubt that these two old Ravens had come 

 to feed and take care of the last young bird. I record this fact, as it is abso- 

 lutely established, and does not happen very frequently, I believe. 



These Ravens do not only feed on offal, when animals have been killed for food, 

 and on carrion, but also to some extent on lizards, as one I shot had in its bill an 

 Agama inermis, and the same were found in their stomachs. 



2. Garrulus glandarius minor Verr. 



Garriihis minor Verreaux, Rer. and Mag. Zaal. 1857, p. 430, pi. xiv. (" Algerie ") ; Loche, Cat. 

 Mamm. et Ois. p. 52(1858 — "Djelfa"). Loche here mentions that he presented the type, 

 evidently the sole specimen which he had, to the " exposition permanente d'Alger " ; this 

 exhibition was by no means permanent, but was distributed some years after, and we 

 do not know where the specimen is now. The skin in the British Museum, which was 

 described as G. minor by Sharpe in Cat. B. Brit. Mits. iii. p. 9G, is G. glandarius whitakeri 

 Hart.— See Bull. B. 0. Club xxxiii. p. Ul, June 1914. 



A nest was found on May 8, about 12 kilometres from Djelfa. It stood 

 4 metres hm\\ in a dense oak tree. The nest was rather small, looking from 



