TURDUS MERULA MAURITANIGA 11 



TURDUS MERULA MAURITANIGA, Haitert. 

 MOORISH BLACKBIRD. 



Turdus merula mauritanica, Hartert, Novit. Zoolog. ix, p. 323 (1902). 



Descviptioii. — Adult male, spring, from Ain-Rhorab, Central Tunisia. 



Differs from T. merula, L., in having a larger and stouter bill ; the other 

 measurements aru about the same as those of that species. 



Adult female differs from that of T. merula, L., in being greyer, 

 particularly on the underparts, and in lacking any tinge of rufous. It also 

 appears to have a yellow bill at all seasons. 



The young bird has the upper parts Ijlackish-brown ; the feathers of the 

 back and wing-coverts with buif-coloured shafts, and the tail almost black ; 

 the under parts grey, mottled with dark brown, and slightly tinged here and 

 there with yellowish-buff ; the throat white, streaked and spotted on the 

 sides with blackish-brown ; bill dark brown. 



This sub-species, described by Mr. Hartert from Marocco (Nov. 

 Zool. i.\, p. 323), appears to be the resident form of Blackbird in 

 Tunisia, as it probably is generally throughout North-west Africa. 

 Examples in my collection from Tunisia, Algeria, and Marocco do 

 not differ appreciably from each other. 



The Blackbird of the Canary Islands, which has been distin- 

 guished by Mr. Hartert under the name of T. merula cabrerce, 

 according to him has the large stout bill of the present form, but 

 differs from it in some other respects. Examples from Madeira also 

 seem to differ somewhat from typical T. merula, L., particularly the 

 females, which are greyer on the underparts than those of that 

 species. 



T. merula mauritanica is to be met with in Tunisia in most of 

 the wooded districts north of the Atlas, as also, though more sparingly, 

 south of those mountains. I have observed it at Ain-Rhorab, near 

 Kairouan, and on the slopes of the Djebel Semama in Central Tunisia, 

 as also on the Djebel Eshkul, near Bizerta, in the north of the 

 Regency, and have notes of its occurrence at other places. It is to 

 be met with occasionally even in some of the southern oases of the 

 Regency. In the oases of Biskra and El Kantara in Algeria, accord- 

 ing to Dr. Koenig, Blackbirds may be met with nesting. In Marocco 

 they are also to be found breeding in the extreme south of the 

 Empire. 



