( 60) 

 71. CaprimiUgus aegyptius saharae Ei-1. 



Cf. Nov. Zool. xviii. p. 524. 



AlthongU a, typical Saharau form, this l)irJ does not, diii-iiig breeding-time, 

 reach very far south into the desert. The .sonthernmost places where it was 

 found were the Oned Noa, between Ghardaia and Gnerrara, and the sand district 

 of El-Aricli, where it api)L'are<l to be commou, as we saw a number of youug 

 birds, though, by ill luck, no adult bird was there procured. A tine adult male, 

 however, was shot on .Juno 11, 40 km. south of Touggonrt, between Has,si Dinar 

 and Bledet-Ahraar ; thi.s bird was still in beautiful [duraage, though the body- 

 featliers were already in moult. 



Near Bledet-Ahmar is also the southernmost place where this (Joatsucker had 

 hitherto been found, by Koenig. 



The young birds — fully fledged June 4, Oned N(;a — so closely resemble the 

 adult birds that they cannot be distinguished when flushed out of the desert 

 grass; the blackish markings are everywhere finer, less sharply defined, tiie 

 white patches on the sides of the throat only indicated, otherwise there are no 

 differences in coloration. 



Quite a number of Goatsuckers got U]) before the diligence during our 

 night drive from Touggourt to Biskra, especially north of Mraier, which could not 

 have been anything else than ('. ae. saharae, their pale sandy plumage being very 

 noticeable in the faint moonlight. On June 17, when coming up from Touggourt 

 with the camels, Ahmed-ben-Naili found a clutch of two eggs, of which he un- 

 fortunately broke one. The remaining one closely resembles the two I found in 

 19U'..», and measures :!2'1 x 2'J'5 mm. 



72. *Coracia8 garrulus garrulus Ij. 



Cf. }^i>r. Zmil. xviii. p. iylh. 



Only single specimens observed in the Oned Nca on June 4, at El-Golea on 

 May 10, and near tlie oasis of Sebseb on May 27, but always so shy that we were 



not nble to shoot one. 



7;!. Merops apiaster L. 



Cf. Niir. ZiKil. xviii. p. '>'1\, 



Only a few times did we observe Bee-eaters in the south : on April S in the 

 Southern Oued Mya, and on A))ril 17 .and 18 at In-Salah. Neither here nor there 

 were tli(>y nesting, imt in the Oued Nca a few were seen which seemed to have 

 their nests on the steep banks. 



74. Merops persicus chrysocercus ('ab. & Heine. 



Cf. Nor. Zijol. xviii. p. 524, pi. ix. 



Nesting on the steep banks of the Oued N(,'a. On June ."> a clutch of five 

 eggs was taken, but they were so much incubated that only tliree could be saved. 

 On June G a full clutch of five, almost fresh, was dug out, while in another hole 

 young birds were already found. The holes were about a metre deep. One old 

 bird was shot for identification of the eggs. 



The latter measure 2(i x 2M, 25 x 21, 2.^) x 21-4; 2:3-.") x 217, 23-2 x 22, 

 23-7 X 22, 23-8 x 22, and 23-.-) x 21-0 mm. 



