362



Mr. T. H. Newman,



Roman bath, a pair of Moussier’s Redstarts had their home, I

watched them for some time as they flew and hopped about the

loose stones lying about. A magnificent Arab gentleman, with

his three wives and families were also taking an afternoon stroll

round the ruins. A large dark Crested Rark was common in

pairs, a few Hoopoes were about, also some Wlieatears and acock

Algerian Chaffinch. On the way back, I saw two more pairs of

Moussier’s Redstart flying about among the low bushes which

are scattered over the stony plain. All the Sparrows, even at

this out of the way place, seemed to be domesiicus.


I left early next morning, April ist, at a place called Clair-

fontaine, where rather a long stop was made. I noticed Sparrows

by the station, Serins in the Eucalyptus trees and a few Swallows

flyi ng round ; a fine pair of Egyptian Vultures were soaring over

the station, when first seen they were quite close so that an ex¬

cellent view could be had of them ; they gradually went up almost

out of sight, but afterwards again returned. Rater in the day,

just as it was getting dark, I noticed a pair of white Storks sitting

on a low building and another pair on a haystack—these were

the last Storks seen.


I reached Tunis about 9.30 p.m. In the morning, 011 some

waste land near the harbour, I came across a flock of brightly-

coloured Wagtails, with bright yellow underparts; as most of

them had distinct white superciliary stripes and scarcely any

white on the chin, I think they were Blue-lieaded Wagtails

(Motacilla flava), but at least one bird among them had no white

eye stripe but a distinct white chin, which would seem to be the

Grey-headed Wagtail (A/, cinereocapilla). As several forms of

these Yellow-breasted Wagtails occur in Tunisia, there is no

reason why they should not mix during migration. There were

also a number of small light-brown Rarks, but they were very

wild ; I should think they were some sort of Short-toed Rark.

A very typical Spanish Sparrow was showing off just outside the

town. In the afternoon I walked to the borders of the inner

Rake of Sebka, es-Sedjoiemi, above the grassy slopes near the

water, what were probably Tunisian Sky-Rarks (A/auda arvensis

harterti ) were soaring aloft singing ; this is a paler and more

uifescent bird than ours and is the resident form in Northern

Tunisia. A small dark Crested Rark was plentiful, but wild, but



