262 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



id) G. theklcB carolinm, Erl., a bright rufous form inhabiting the rocky 

 inland plains and broken country of the south-east of the Eegency. 



The first of these subspecies appears to be identical with Brehm's 

 Galerida theklce major from Spain, and I have specimens of Tunisian 

 birds which are absolutely undistinguishable from some Spanish 

 examples. — I therefore refer this North Tunisian subspecies to G. 

 theklce major (Brehm) . 



Baron Erlanger (J. f. O. 1899, p. 332) has given the name of 

 G. t. harterti to the North Tunisian small-billed Crested Lark, but 

 seeing that Brehm's name of G. t. major applies to this subspecies, 

 I fear the former cannot stand. So many names already exist, that 

 we ought to be only too thankful when we can avoid creating a 

 new one. 



With regard to Brehm's names for the small-billed Crested Larks, 

 it was apparently the smaller form which was first noticed by him 

 {Nauru. 1858, p. 211), and this form might therefore bear the simple 

 binomial name of Galerida theklm, the larger form bearing the 

 trinomial subspecific name of Galerida theklce major. 



G. theklm major is to be found, more or less plentifully distributed, 

 throughout the greater part of North Tunisia, its southern range, 

 as I have already mentioned, extending as far as the southern slopes 

 of the Atlas Mountains, where this subspecies meets the next. In the 

 more hilly and high plateaux regions, some of which are over 4,000 

 feet above sea-level, the birds have a darker plumage, while in the 

 lower districts they have a paler, and at times a rufescent or even 

 dark rufous shade of colour. 



Occasionally, as exceptions to the rule, one meets with a very 

 dark coloured example in the south of the Regency, or a very pale 

 one in the north, thus for instance, from Metlaoui, which lies between 

 Gafsa and Tozer in the south, I have a specimen as dark as most 

 of the birds to be met with in the north ; while from the neighbour- 

 hood of the town of Tunis I have a remarkably pale bird, similar 

 to specimens from the " Chott " districts. These, however, are but 

 rare and exceptional cases. 



The present subspecies apparently occurs in North Algeria more 

 or less as it does in Tunisia. In North Marocco, however, a darker 

 form of small-billed Crested Lark is to be found, which although 

 rather darker than the generality of specimens from Spain, I referred 

 to Galerida theklm (Ibis, 1898, p. 603). An examination of further 



