Birth from Algeria. 193 



I have already (Bull. B. O. C. vol. xv. p. .37) referred to 

 C. v. buvryi as compared with examples of the Hawfinch 

 from Europe. Judging hy single examples, the birds from 

 Asia Minor and from Tangier should be referred to typical 

 C. vulgaris. C. v. buvryi is, briefly, a decidedly paler and 

 greyer bird in both sexes, while the white markings on 

 the wings and tail are less extensive and the bill is not so 

 heavy. 



The white mark on the fourth primary of the male is, I 

 think, rather an interesting feature. In typical C. vulgaris 

 it almost invariably extends towards the base of the feather 

 (see text-fig. 15, p. 192), though its size tends to vary, whereas 

 in C. v. buvryi it seems to have become fixed at a certain spot. 



Hawfinches were fairly common and tame at H. Meskou- 

 tine, but we did not sec them elsewhere. They were cer- 

 tainly not breeding up to the end of March, as we found 

 them then in small companies. 



Passer domesticus (L.). 



<£ ad. H. Meskoutine, March 18. 



This specimen is very puzzling. It is like the English 

 Sparrow, but all the feathers of the crown are chestnut with 

 grey tips. When abrasion takes place, therefore, the bird 

 must have a chestnut crown. In this it appears, from the 

 description, to be like Passer domesticus ahasver Kleinschm. 

 but the distribution of that supposed race is at present very 

 obscure. My specimen is unlike P. d. tingitanus Loche, 

 which has black markings on the crown. Our knowledge of 

 the House-Sparrows of North Africa seems to be in rather a 

 confused state for want of proper material. It is natural 

 for the collector to neglect House-Sparrows until he has 

 collected everything else. 



Passer hispaniolensis (Temm.). 

 $ ad. Biskra, March 10. 

 $ ad. H. Meskoutine, April 2. 

 Both these specimens are typical. 



The Spanish Sparrow was very common at Biskra, while 

 at H. Meskoutine we did not observe it until the heainnino- 



