THE ALGERIAN SAHARA. 55 



Turtledove, Common English Turtledove, Pied Flycatcher, 

 Wood Wren, Willow Wren, House Bunting, and Rock 

 Chat ( Saxicola Iciicopyga). These Rock Chats are quite 

 the handsomest birds in the oases. They are very common 

 about the zveds, (i.e. dry rocky water-courses,) and on the 

 wells, where I suspect they breed, as I saw some fly down 

 them. I saw a boy with one which he had doubtless caught 

 on its nest, tied to a long string which was passed through 

 its nostrils ! On the 25tli I shot a Roller ( Corracias garrula, 

 Lin.). Its stomach contained four of the largest beetles. 

 As might be expected, so rich an oasis affords food and 

 shelter for many beautiful birds unknown in other lands ; 

 and one, which from its gay colours has attracted the notice 

 of all travellers, is the Roller. Accordingly M. M. Peysonnel 

 and Des Fontaines, in their " Voyages dans les regences de 

 Tunis et D' Alger," say : — 



" On voit aussi le long des rivieres un bel oiseau qu'on nomme 

 chcr agra. * * * - C'est un espece de Geai : il se 

 nourrit de sauterelles. Get oiseau est de passage ; il parait en 

 Barbaric vers le mois de Mai, et y sejourne jusqu'en automne. II 

 y niche dans des trous le long des rivieres ; son cri est : g>-a, gra, 



This work was published in 1838, five years after Des 

 Fontaines' death. What few birds Des Fontaines collected 

 are in the Paris Museum. His life was so much taken up 

 with the study of flowers, that he seems to have only had 

 time for one ornithological " brochure," entitled " Memoire 

 sur quelques especes nouvelles d'oiseaux des cotes de Bar- 

 baric." (Mem. de lAcad. des Sc. (1787), p. 496.) It contains 

 figures and descriptions of seven species — Otis Hobara 

 (Houbara 'uiidulata), Tiirdus fuhiis ( Crater opus fiilvns) 

 Turdus bar bat HS ( Pycnotiotus barbatus), Tctrao syhaticiis 

 (Tur)iix syhatica), Tetrao fasciatus (Ptcrocks arciiarius), 

 Falco cQjr ulcus ( Elanus carulcus), Upupa alaudipes (CcrtJii- 

 lauda dcsertorujn). For a sight of it I am indebted to 



