THE BIRDS OF ALGERIA. 57 



It was made of lichens, wool, vegetable down, and 

 a few roots and bents, and lined with the feathers 

 of the Barbary Partridge. It was nothing near 

 so compact as that of the English Chaffinch, but 

 the same remarkable imitation of surrounding 

 objects was noticeable. The hen bird was very 

 anxious at the nest. 



The Algerian Chaffinch is represented on the 

 Azores by Fringilla moreleti, Madeira by F. 

 maderensis, and Canary Islands * by F. tintillon 

 and F. palmce, four fairly well-defined races, the 

 three former of which, however, completely inter- 

 grade amongst themselves owing probably to inter- 

 breeding. The Algerian species may be always 

 distinguished by its pink underparts and green 

 mantle. Dresser asserts that the female of the 

 Algerian species cannot be distinguished from the 

 female of the Common Chaffinch, but this is not 

 correct. It may always be identified by its much 

 grayer tone of colour, by the white outer margins 

 to the secondaries, by the greater amount of white 



* I may here take the opportunity of stating, that, owing to 

 the error of a valued correspondent, I was led to include in the 

 addenda to my work, The Game Birds and Wild Fowl of the 

 British Islands, what purported to be a new species of Pratin- 

 cole from these islands, but which is really a new form of 

 Pratincola or Bush Chat. 



