440 PASSER ttaij;e. — p. itispaniolensis. 



PASSER ITALIC (Vieillot). 



[§ 2373. Three. — Sicily. Trom Signer Luigi Benoit, through 

 Mr. Robcrl, Birkbeck, 1854.] 



PASSER HISPANIOLENSIS (Temminck). 

 S 2374. i^o?^r.— Chemora, 24 May, 1857. Trora Mr. Simpson. 



\S 2375. I'm'o.— Biermandraez, Algeria, 12 May, 1856. From 

 Mr. Tristram.] 



[§ 2376. >S'6'yt72.— Algeria, 1856. From Mr. Tristram.] 

 [§ 2377. 7'^(?o.— Chemora, 24 May, 1857. From Mr. Simpson.] 

 \S 2378. i^/z;<?.— Chemora, 1857. From Mr. Tristram.] 

 [§ 2379. T'i^-o.— Chemora, May, 1857. From Mr. Salvin. 



Of these eggs Mr. Salvin's note is simply " Brought by some Arabs," and 

 it refers as well to those of the first and of the two preceding sections j but 

 he went on to say of the species, as subsequently printed, with some slight 

 alterations, in 'The Ibis ' (1859, p. 314), that it "is found in great numbers 

 during the breeding-season in the tamari.sk thicket at Chemora, .and in the 

 marsh at Zana. The Arabs destroy the eggs and young as much as possible 

 on account of the great mischief this bird does to their crops. The nests are 

 placed as thick as they can be, the whole colony, of perhaps 100 to 200 pairs, 

 occupying only five or six trees. The noise proceeding from one of these 

 ' Sparrow-towns ' is so great that it may be heard at a considerable distance, 

 and guided by the sound one may walk directly to the nests. Our eggs were 

 selected from about 800, which were brought by four Arabs one Sunday 

 morning, and gravely displayed by them after thej^ had sat down in a row." 

 Canon Tristram's note is that ten eggs were taken the day before.] 



