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



Tunisia, and on the south by the lower range, beyond which 

 lies the desert country o£ the Chotts. The elevation of this 

 district is about 1200 feet above sea-level, and the character 

 of the country is of the semi-desert description, with stony 

 plains, covered with a scanty scrub vegetation, although, 

 owing to its proximity to the southeru range of hills, there 

 is much broken ground and nutuerous watercourses, dry as 

 a rule, intersecting the plain. In the immediate vicinity of 

 Uas-el-Aioum, through which flows the Oued Seldja, the 

 vegetation is of a less stunted nature, and by the river-banks 

 there is a thick growth of tamarisks and oleanders, the 

 favourite haunt of many birds. Oglet-Zelles stands a little 

 higher than Ras-el-Aioum, and, being situated near the 

 centre of the plain, has a more open and less broken country, 

 but in other respects the two districts resemble each other. 



The first nest taken at Ras-el-Aioum I found on the 

 13th April. It was placed in a hole at the foot of a low 

 marl cliff', a bare spot, destitute of vegetation. The hole, 

 which was just large enough to admit the easy passage of 

 the bird, extended nearly a yard in length, in a horizontal 

 direction, with a bend about halfway. The nest, placed at 

 the further extremity of the hole, was cup-shaped, and fairly 

 laro-e for the size of the bird. It was composed exteriorly of 

 coarse grass-bents, rather loosely put together, with finer 

 and softer grass inside, and lined plentifully with wool and 

 hair, both camels^ and goats\ The eggs, which unfortu- 

 nately were rather hard to get, were five in number, and of a 

 verv delicate, pale greenish blue, sparsely spotted, and prin- 

 cipally at the larger end, with spots of a pale lake-colour. 

 The following are the dimensions of three of the eggs 

 which I measured: — (a) 24.x 17 mm.; {b) 23x16 mm.; 

 (c) 24x16 mm. 



The second nest, also taken at Ras-el-Aioum on the 

 13th of April, was placed in a hole in a marl cliff, like the 

 first ; but as this cliff formed one of the banks of a dry water- 

 course, the hole was about five feet from the ground, or bed 

 of the stream, a providential instinct having no doubt taught 

 the bird to avoid a possible catastrophe. As in the first 



