191 /■] Ornithuloyy of Malta. 295 



liiiii near St. Paul's Bay in the spring of 1812. AVriglit 

 records four individuals : the first was killed on the 7th of 

 August, 1855, two were taken at the Marsa (for these no 

 date is given), and the fourth was purehased by liitn iu 

 tlie Valletta Market during the first week of November, 

 1858. I have seen only one live specimen, and this was at 

 "Tal Ghalia" on the 1st of November, 1906. There is a 

 fine specimen in the University Museum — this, however, 

 bears neither date nor locality; and I know of another in 

 the collection of Mr. Micallef, who informed me that it was 

 the sixth s|)pciruen which he had prepared. A specimen 

 was taken in the vicinity of Birzebbugia in the middle of 

 July, 1916. The local name Malvizz rosa, given in other 

 lists, is not lased any longer, and I do not know if it has ever 

 been in use. 



11. (75) Oriolus oriolus oriolus (L.). The Golden Oriole. 



Local name : Taj)-a sfifra. 



A regular migrant during the spring and autumn. It is 

 abundant, however, during the former season and in the latter 

 it is usually scarce. During the spring the first arrivals are 

 noticed by the middle or end of March ; the bulk, however, 

 are not observed before April, when it is a common occur- 

 rence to see the carob trees quite full with these birds, and 

 when great slaughter is v.rought by sportsmen, both licensed 

 and unlicensed ones. Some of these birds usually linger 

 here till the end of May, and a few individuals occasionally 

 ])rolong their stay till the middle of June. I remember 

 years when the Orioles appeared in very small numbers ; 

 this is, however, only an exception to the rule. Both 

 Schembri and Wright are of opinion that these birds would 

 breed here if they were not so much persecuted. And I 

 quite share this opinion, for I have often dissected females 

 in which the ovaries were so ripe that in a few days the 

 birds would undoubtedly have laid. Besides the local name 

 above given, we find in other lists the name Tajra hadra, 

 which is said to be used for the female and young birds ; 

 this is, however, not much in use at present, and the name 



