48 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



itself, which must have been hatched about the ist. The eggs are 

 rather Hke Sparrows' eggs, but rounder. I only got three. Dr. 

 Tristram did not get any, and there are none in the Museum at 

 Algiers. The nest is generally, but not always, placed in a hole, 

 and is composed of twigs or little sticks, and lined with hair, with 

 sometimes the addition of wool or a bit of cotton. On one 

 occasion two were found together, which probably belonged to the 

 same bird, as one of them was unfinished. The young are less 

 noisy than Sparrows : the female brings them food about every ten 

 minutes ; and they never chirp except when they see her. I never 

 could detect anything in her beak, or see on what she fed them, 

 although I watched the operation often ; so I do not doubt that 

 .she reproduces what she has eaten for the benefit of her callow 

 offspring. Until the young leave the nest the male takes no share 

 in feeding them. The female bears away the faeces. The males 

 sing much the loudest, indeed the females never do more than 

 twitter ; but the cock pours forth a lively strain during the season 

 of incubation. They are as tame as Robins. Frequently one 

 would hop upon our carpet, to search for fragments of couscous, 

 scrutinizing us within a few feet with his dark brown trustful eye. 

 They are iiearly omnivorous. I caught one in a trap baited with 

 grain, and saw another nibbling green carrot leaf; and once the 

 female at Berryan made her appearance with a large fly, which was 

 not swallowed without a great effort and after much mastication. 

 They drank out of our goatskin, fluttering and clinging to the wall 

 for the moisture which had oozed through. For a few seconds 

 before settling down for the night I used to see them "hovering" 

 perpendicularly, with quivering wings and tail brought forward. 

 Half circles of accumulated droppings under the rafters showed 

 where they roosted." 



Near this town I saw examples of the Woodchat, and 

 White-headed Rock Chat ( Saxicola kncoccpJiala), now united 

 with Saxicola Iciicopygia ; while the Egyptian Turtledove 

 (Turtiir cgyptiacus, Tern.) was so common, that I had only 

 to take my stand in a garden and load and fire until as 

 many had been killed as I required. Directly one falls the 



