Ornithology of Xvrtliern Africa. 153 



Green-finch [Chlorospiza aurantiiventris, Cab.). Having packed 

 my treasures, I remounted, and, riding on at a quick pace, reached 

 the termination of the forest some two hours before sunset, and 

 had the satisfaction of seeing the tall marsh of reeds which 

 environs Lac Halloula about three miles before me, and about a 

 mile to my right, on the slope, the white tents of a party of con- 

 vict soldiers, who, under the charge of a Zouave guard, were 

 engaged in the deadly work of cutting a trench from the lake to 

 drain it to the sea, by taking it to a stream at the base of Mount 

 Chenoua. 



I met with a civil reception from the sergeant commanding 

 the party, to whom I explained my errand, judiciously using 

 the name of General Yusuf, with whom I was acquainted ; and 

 received the agreeable intimation that I could share his tent for 

 the night. A " Boulet," or military convict, soon picketed my 

 nag, while I produced nosebag and barley from the panniers, 

 and the sergeant, being further conciliated by a handful of cigars 

 and a half bottle of brandy, offered to send a couple of convicts 

 with me to look for birds in the thickets near the lake. On 

 inquiry I discovered among the Zouaves a young man who had 

 formerly worked for MINI. Verreaux at Paris. We fraternized at 

 once, and sat down together on the ground to skin the speci- 

 mens I had procured throvigh the day. He raised my expecta- 

 tions to the highest pitch by telling me what I had not antici- 

 pated, that, besides the waterfowl, in quest of which I had come, 

 there was not a richer field in the world for warblers than the 

 low brushwood and tamarisk thickets at the head of the lake. 

 It was now dark ; and having subscribed a portion of my pro- 

 visions to the common stock, I supped with the sergeant and 

 corporals, and obtained a holiday for my Zouave friend that he 

 might accompany me in the morning. Before turning in, I 

 spread in the camp among the convicts an announcement that 

 for all nests brought me with the bird snared and alive, within 

 the next three days, I should pay at the rate of one sou 

 per egg. 



As I lay in the corner of the tent wrapped in my burnous, I 

 was kept awake for some time by a party of Zouaves, whose poli- 

 tical discussions were too amusing to suffer me to sleep. The 



VOL. II. M 



