1920.] Birds of Southern Palestine. 199 



One obtained near Rainleh on 5. ii. compares well with 

 specimens from Bosnia as regards its nnder parts ; but the 

 nuchal collar is no lighter tlian in British specimens. 



Garrulus glandarius. 



G. g. atricapillus Geoffr. 



A local resident in tlie Judfean hills and on the foothills of 

 the Shephelah, being by no means rare where it occurs. 

 It lays ihree or four eggs in a typical nest in a small bush 

 near the ground. 



Of four obtained, two males have wings of 182 and 

 190 mm, and two females have wings of 175 and 187. The 

 amount of white on the forehead sliows great variation, 

 sometimes being confined to the forehead proper, and at 

 other times extenciing nearly to the crown. The colour of 

 the back varies in birds even from the same locality, a 

 specimen from Jerusalem being very })a]e, which does not 

 appear to be due to bleaching. 



Amydrus tristrarni Sclater. 



Found in the gorges south and south-west of Jericho and 

 in the wadis running info the Dead Sea on the west side. 

 It probably also occurs throughout the Dead Sea depres- 

 sion, south to retra,and possibly elsewhere in N.W. Arabia. 



The nest is an untidy collection of sticks and roots placed 

 on the ledge of a cliff. 



Stunms vulgaris. 



S. V. sopldce Bianchi. {=Jitkowi But.) 

 S. V. purparascens Gould. 



Several examples of both these forms were obtained from 

 28.x. to 8.1., the two races being invarialjly mixed up in 

 the same flock. 



Starlings arrive in iheir thousands in southern Palestine 

 in the last days of October, the first flocks appearing to pass 

 on towards Egypt mostly flying at a height of about 400 feet, 

 fn winter they are more numerous around Gaza and Rafa 

 than further north. Not observetl in the hills of Judrca or 

 the Jordan Valle}^ and entirely absent in summer. 



