314 Mr. 0. Salvin's Five Months' Birds' -nesting 



82. Passer salicicola. (Spanish Sparrow.) 



Is found in great numbers during the breeding-season among 

 the Tamarisk thickets on the Chemora, and in the high sedge at 

 Zana. The Arabs destroy the nests, eggs, and young, wherever 

 they find them, as their great numbers do much damage to the 

 crops of corn. The nests are placed as thickly as they can 

 stand — the whole colony consisting of perhaps one hundred 

 pairs, occupying only five or six trees. The noise and ceaseless 

 chattering proceeding from one of these " sparrow towns " can 

 easily be imagined ; and, guided by the sound alone, one may 

 walk directly to the spot from a considerable distance. One 

 Sunday morning, four Arabs came to our tents, and, gravely 

 sitting down in a row, opened the hoods of their burnouses, and 

 displayed 800 or 1000 sparrows' eggs, which they arranged in 

 four heaps before them, and remained in their sitting posture 

 contemplating them with evident satisfaction. We were rather 

 taken by surprise, but selected the best for our collections, 

 reserving the rest for omelettes. 



83. Emberiza cirlus. (Cirl Bunting.) 



I frequently saw the Cirl Bunting at Khifan M'sakta and its 

 neighbourhood. We afterwards, in May, obtained nests. 



84'. Emberiza miliaria. (Common Bunting.) 

 Everywhere very abundant. 



85. Alauda ARVENSis. (Skylark.) 



The Skylark is very common about Tunis in February ; but it 

 occurs rarely in the Salt-lake country, the head-quarters of A. 

 calandra, cristata, and brachydactyla. 



86. Galerida cristata. (Crested Lark.) 



Is abundant in all the plains both in Tunis and the Salt-lake 

 country. In the latter districts we found it breeding in the 

 month of May, but some eggs were obtained in April. Though 

 the plains appear to be most frequented, it was by no means of 

 unusual occurrence to find the Crested Lark in the mountains 

 and rocky passes, in this respect differing from A. calandra and 

 brachydactyla, both of which we found exclusively in the level 

 country. 



