126 Mr. J. I. S. Whitaker on Tunisian Birds. 



that followed by me on previous occasions, for instead of 

 going from Tunis to Tebessa, and then starting southward 

 on my caravan journey, I took the new line of railway along 

 the coast from Tunis to Sousa, and then struck inland, going 

 first to the sacred city of Kairouan, and then across country 

 to Gafsa. From this latter town I travelled westward as far 

 as Oglet-Zelles, and then northward, crossing the mountains 

 by Ain-Moulares, to Feriana, whence I went to Kasrin, 

 and finally to Tebessa, where I took the rail to Tunis. 



Among the birds new to my Tunisian collection, of which I 

 obtained specimens on the present occasion or have received 

 examples during the past twelvemontli from Blanc, the Tunis 

 naturalist, I may mention the following species as being 

 the most noteworthy: — Turdus iliacus, T. torquatus, Chry- 

 somitris spinus, Passer montanus, Chersophilus duponti, 

 Caprimulgus ruficollis, Merops persicus, Coccystes glandarius, 

 Bubo ascalapfms, Nisaetus fasciatus, Falco peregrinus, F. eleo- 

 norcB, Columba palumhus, C. cenas, Turnix sylvatica, Por- 

 phyria ccBruleus, Otis honbara, and Stercorarius crepidatus. 



With regard to one of the species in the above list, viz. 

 Chersophilus duponti, having this year had exceptional oppor- 

 tunity of observing and studying its habits and home life, I 

 have the following remarks to make : — 



In my notes on Tunisian birds (Ibis, 1895, p. 98) I 

 mentioned having obtained a specimen of C. margaritce 

 (Koenig) at Saharidj, between Feriana and Gafsa, and in my 

 subsequent notes (Ibis, 1896, p. 89), referring to the birds 

 met with by Mr. Aplin in South Tunis, I again alluded to 

 this Lark, observing that the specimens from the far south of 

 the Regency were " all very rufous in colour, and still more 

 so than the specimen obtained by myself last year.'^ 



In the course of my recent journey in Tunisia I obtained 

 specimens of what I consider to be the typical C. duponti 

 (Vieill.), viz., dark-plumaged birds, diifering considerably in 

 shade of colouring from those from the far south of Tunisia, 

 and also, although to a less extent, from that which I 

 obtained between Feriana and Gafsa. In point of colour 

 these Tunisian C. duponti lately found by me are slightly 



