105 [Vol. xxix. 



Mr. Whitaker [cf. 'Birds of Tunisia/ i. p. 288 (1905)] . The 

 entire plumage of the head and upperparts is isabelline ; 

 the wings are similarly coloured, but the primaries, which 

 are mostly in quill and about half an inch in length, have 

 the basal part of the inner web blackish. The chest and 

 sides are paler isabelline than the back, while the middle of 

 the breast and belly is whitish, becoming pure white on the 

 thighs and vent. 



The young bird differs absolutely from the adult in 

 plumage, and even the bill, though rather thick, does not 

 appear to foreshadow the massive mandibles of the adult. 

 The bill is yellowish-horn colour ; the inside of the mouth 

 orange-yellow ; and the legs and feet yellowish-buff. — Ed.] 



Mr. Wallis and Mr. Pearson then made some remarks 

 upon the nesting of the Algerian Desert-Lark, Ammomanes 

 deserti algeriensis, Sharpe, on the rocky hills of Fontaines 

 Chaudes, Biskra. The nest was placed in an angle of a 

 rock, on a level with the ground, and was partially overhung. 

 It was made of the whitish, woolly buds and shoots of some 

 desert plant, buttressed and held in position against the wind 

 by a rampart of little stones. It contained two young, still 

 covered with the first coat of almost white down. The 

 female remained covering them until she had been examined 

 at close quarters, showing great courage, and, judging 

 from her attitude and extended wings, did not rely on the 

 extremely protective colouring of her plumage. 



On tbe 6th of April several pairs of Griffon Vultures ( Gyps 

 fulvus) were found breeding, and four nests were visited, 

 while two more were observed at close quarters a fortnight 

 later. One egg was fairly fresh, a second contained a 

 chick almost ready to emerge and quite noisy. Three or 

 four other chicks were seen or handled, all being quite 

 small. The nests, unlike those described by Seebohm, were 

 tidy, but small structures, entirely made of Esparto grass. 

 They did not contain any sticks, nor had they the appear- 

 ance of having been used previously. Mr. Wallis had. seen 

 the birds nesting upon the same rows of ledges in April 1911, 



