34 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



time, and the next day shot him. Though I have since had 

 the rare chance of scrutinizing this bird in England * it did 

 not afford me so much pleasure as this my first encounter 

 with it at Ain-oussera. Afterwards I saw a pair at Laghouat 

 feeding on a path, near to which the commandant had 

 planted a row of willows, and one of them flew up to rub 

 its bill against a branch, a very common action in birds to 

 get rid of soil after feeding. On going to the place I dis- 

 covered a number of dead locusts under the trees. Now 

 was the Hoopoe feeding on them ? 



The tongue in this species is very small, hence there is no 

 groove on the inside of the lower mandible. 



MarcJi \Afth. Shot a Desert Wheatear, which had lost 

 seven toes ! It was a female, the only female I obtained. 

 Saxicola homochroa (Trist.) is stated by Mr. Dresser to be 

 referable to the female of this species (P. Z. S., 1874, p. 225). 

 A rather favourite perch of the Desert Wheatear is the 

 Laghouat telegraph wire, on which the French there pin 

 their faith, and to cut which would be the greatest crime an 

 Arab could commit, for it would be tantamount to rebellion. 



Guelt-El-Stel. March 20th. I came here on the i6th, 

 having passed — novel sight — a clump of trees about forty 

 feet high. On one was a Moorish Magpie, on another a 

 Raven, on another a Neophron or Egyptian Vulture, 

 Doubtless in a month's time each -tree would have its nest. 

 Two armed Arab troopers came to the caravanserai with 

 five prisoners, also Arabs ; they had chains round their 

 necks. They reminded me of the poor prisoners I have 

 seen in chains marching through the streets of Moscow. 

 Among other birds that I collected here were the Stapazine 

 Wheatear (Saxicola rufa) and Tree Pipit ; the latter with 

 flesh-coloured claws, but precisely like ours in other respects, 

 and coming north with the migratory tide. By Monsieur 



• In May, 1874, at Leyton in Essex (cf. Zoologist, 4035). 



