KHAMPHOCORYR CLOT-BEY 289 



South of the Chott Djerid this Lark is not uncommon in certain 

 districts, and Mr. Aplin came across it near Bir-Ghezen and Bir- 

 Abdallah, both districts lying to the south-east of that Chott. From 

 the neighbourhood of Tatahoiiine, still further south, I also have 

 specimens of it, though I am informed the species is not common 

 there. 



Dr. Koenig met with the Thick-billed Lark in Tunisia as far north 

 as the Djebel-el-Meda, near Ouderef (J. f. 0. 1892, p. 46), and Baron 

 V. Erlanger found it at the foot of the Djebel Bahir, between Gabes 

 and Kebilli, as well as at the Oued Nachla and at Oum-el-Graf, south 

 of Douirat ; in the latter district the species would appear to be fairly 

 common (J. f. 0. 1899, p. 867). 



In Tripoli Mr. Dodson obtained specimens of B. clot-be;/ in several 

 localities, and found it particularly abundant in the vicinity of 

 Sofedjin, about 120 miles south-east of the town of Tripoli. He also 

 met with the species still further east, in the country lying south of 

 the Gulf of Syrtes. 



In the Algerian Sahara this Lark has been met with by various 

 ornithologists, and' its occurrence there has been recorded by Canon 

 Tristram, Loche, Taczanowski, and Dr. Koenig ; but in no part of 

 the country does the species seem to be at all abundant. 



From Marocco I have no note of the bird's occurrence, though 

 I cannot help thinking that it must be found there in the more inland 

 desert districts. The species certainly appears to be fairly common 

 in the Province of Oran, and in the year 1889 the Zoological Society 

 of London received living examples of it, which were supposed to have 

 been obtained in the neighbourhood of Ain-Sefra in that Province 

 (Proc. Zool. Soc. Lon. 1889, p. 26). From Ain-Sefra also came the 

 example of this Lark procured by General Cavaignac during the 

 French expedition to the interior of Oran in 1847, and on which 

 MM. Desmurs and Lucas in 1851 bestowed the name of Hierapterhina 

 cavaignacii, believing it to be a new species. 



Peculiar in its appearance, this Lark is equally so in some of its 

 habits, and differs not a little from most other Larks. As a rule it 

 frequents rocky hillocks and broken, undulating country covered with 

 a scanty scrub vegetation, this being often so scanty as hardly to 

 afford shelter to the bird. In such localities the species is to be found 

 generally in limited numbers, though occasionally fairly plentifully. 

 In spring-time, when I have met with the species, it has been in pairs, 



ly 



