630 ALAUI)ID.E. 



the Black Sea it is said to be rare, but is common in winter 

 in Turkey and Greece, where a few also stay to breed. 

 Strickland found it common near Smyrna at Christmas, 

 Messrs. Dickson and Koss procured a single example at 

 Erzeroom in spring, and it is not uncommon in Palestine, 

 where it remains throughout the year. Dr. A. E. Brehm 

 says it visits Lower Egyj)t, but no one else seems to have 

 observed it there. Loche found it in Southern Algeria, but it 

 would appear to be rare as Dr. Taczanowski only saw a single 

 example (Journ. flir Orn. 1870, p. 41) and English travellers 

 in that country do not mention its occurrence. Major Irby 

 informed Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser that it occurs during 

 winter near Tangier. In Portugal and Spain it is local and not 

 abundant, even in the spring when it is most numerous. In 

 France it would seem to be more plentiful, but there as in 

 England it is migratory or resident according to local in- 

 fluences, and the same may perhaps be said of its conduct 

 throughout the rest of Europe. 



The upper mandible of the bill is dark brown, the lower 

 one pale yellow-brown : the irides hazel : the lores, a line 

 below each eye and the upper half of the ear-coverts, dusky ; 

 the lower half of the last rufous ; over each eye runs a 

 distinct yellowish- white stripe, which meets its fellow at the 

 back of the head ; the top of the head, mantle and back, 

 dark brown, each feather bordered with wood-brown, tinged 

 in some parts with rufous ; upper tail-coverts and lesser 

 wing-coverts plain mouse-colour ; the larger wing-coverts 

 and tertials dark brown, edged with light rufous-brown, 

 which on the latter extends from the tip up the shaft in a 

 triangular patch ; upper series of coverts of the primaries 

 white, and lower series blackish-brown broadly tipped with 

 white on the outer web ; primaries and secondaries dark 

 brown, with a narrow light outer border ; tail dark brown, 

 the two middle feathers broadly edged with mouse-colour, 

 the outer pair becoming light greyish-brown towards the 

 distal end, the three next pairs with a distinct triangular 

 patch of white at the tip largest in the outermost and 

 smallest in the innermost; the entire lower surface dull 



