Mr. J. I. S. Whitakei" on Tunisian Birds. 129 



c. Greyish-white ground ; very evenly covered all over with 



minute spots of a grey and faint yellow-brown colour ; 



not a single large spot or blotch ; in fact the colour of 



the e^^, at a little distance, seems of an uniform greenish 



tinge. Measurements : 24 x 17'5 mm. 



Besides the above-described nest and eggs of C. duponti, 



my men found two other nests at Bou-Chebka^ each with 



three young birds_, just hatched, which they concluded 



were of this species as they saw no other birds in this 



particular locality except C. duponti. This would imply that 



the normal full complement of eggs is three. A young 



bird of this species, a few weeks old, was also obtained at 



Bou-Chekba. I believe the only previously recorded instance 



of the nest and eggs of this Lark having been obtained is 



that mentioned in Dresser^s ' Birds of Europe,' vol. iv. 



p. 279. ^ 



Of the nests and eggs obtained by me during my late trip, 

 other than those of C. duponti, the following are among the 

 most interesting, viz. : — Saxicola mcesta, S. leucura, Argya 

 fulva, Erythrospiza githaginea, Emberiza Sahara^ Otis tetrax, 

 and O. houbara. Besides these, I obtained several nests and 

 eggs of the different forms of Crested Larks, and of Short-toed 

 Larks, as also of Bavens, Magpies, Grey Shrikes, and of the 

 commoner species of Raptores. 



With regard to the nesting of Saxicola moe.sta, compara- 

 tively little has previously been recorded. Canon Tristram, 

 I believe, being the only one who has hitherto been fortunate 

 enough to find the nest and eggs of this bird (' Ibis," 1859, 

 p. 299, ' Birds of Europe," vol. ii. p. 227). I propose, there- 

 fore, giving a description of the nests and eggs I found of 

 this species, and of its breeding-habits generally, so far as 

 I was able to observe them. 



Of this Chat I took three nests, two of them near Bas-el- 

 Aioum, a district about 25 miles to the west of Gafsa, and 

 a third at Oglet-Zelles, a few miles still further west. Ras- 

 el-Aioum is situated at the extreme south of the Haut 

 Plateau, which is bounded on the north by the high range of 

 mountains forming the natural frontier between Algeria and 



SER. VII. — VOL. IV. K 



