292 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the 



the mountains and deserts of Africa. Though not breeding in 

 communities, the nests are frequently within a few yards of each 

 other. It wages an incessant and noisy warfare with the Eagles 

 and Kites, who share the Terebinths of the Dayats with it, and 

 are seldom the aggressors in these skirmishes. The Raven be- 

 gins in the Desert to repair his nest in December. 



19. CoRvus MONEDULA, (Jackdaw.) 



Extremely abundant wherever there are rocky gorges near an 

 oasis. 



20. Pyrrhocorax graculus. (The Chough.) 



The Chough is very local, and known to the Arabs by the 

 name of " Ogreeh Hamraiah" the Red Crow. It came under 

 my observation only at two very distant points on the edge of the 

 Sahara, viz. the cliffs of Bokhari, south of Algiers, and the gorge 

 of El Kantara, south-east of Constantine, the key of the Desert 

 and the first of the Oases. In both these localities I obtained 

 eggs — in 1856 at Bokhari, in 1857 at El Kantara. The Chough 

 thus barely gains a claim to be held a bird of the Sahara, not 

 penetrating so far south as his rivaL and persecutor the Jackdaw, 

 though in winter he descends beyond Biskra to feed, return- 

 ing to his clifi's at night. It is intei'esting to observe one of 

 our northern coast birds in a scene so strangely different, and 

 bearing a similar relation to the Jackdaw as he does on the 

 English cliffs. The Alpine Chough has not yet been observed 

 in Algeria. 



21. Pica mauritanica. (Algerian Magpie.) '' El Agahg," 

 Arab. 



A few pairs may occasionally be seen in the northern portions 

 of the Sahara. In habits it differs not from our Magpie, but is 

 a most interesting species, from the singular bare spot which 

 extends half an inch behind the eye, and is of a brilliant ultra- 

 marine blue in the living bird. The colours are not distributed 

 exactly as in our bird, the white on the scapulars being of not 

 more than half the extent, while the black on the breast descends 

 down to the belly, which alone is white for the space of about 

 2 inches; and the bill is more slender and the tarsi longer 

 than in the European species. There is a distinction between 



