72 



close to the ground, and contained three eggs. Two days later we found near the same place a 

 second nest with a full clutch of four eggs, and on the 22nd May I found a nest containing four 

 fledglings, which, directly we approached, flew out of the nest ; but we secured three of them 

 and obtained both the parent birds, which had food in their bills. This nest was also placed 

 just above the ground in a dense rosemary bush. From this I may take it for granted that 

 Tristram's Warbler usually places its nest in a dense rosemary bush close to the ground. The 

 rosemary appears to be a growth that is especially suitable to the present species, as it affects 

 such places where it is found in abundance. Besides the tangled thickets made by this plant, 

 which are so suitable for the nidification of this Warbler, it produces early in the spring, 

 together with the thyme and lavender, an abundance of blossom, whose perfume attracts a 

 variety of insects which form a staple food to this bird, and which also serve as food for its 

 young. The nest is closely and firmly constructed, although it resembles those of the White- 

 throats. The materials used are soft vegetable-bents and fibres, and the average measurements 

 are : circumference 32-5 cm., diameter 10 cm., height 5*3 cm., diameter of cup 5*5 cm., depth 3 cm. 

 The full number of eggs appears to be four ; they are somewhat short in proportion to their 

 width, without gloss, and spotted and dotted with olivaceous on a pale green ground, in character 

 approaching to those of the Whitethroats, but perhaps most nearly resembling those of the 

 Dartford Warbler. In size they average 16 by 13 millimetres, and in weight - 08 gr." 



The specimens figured are the adult male in breeding-plumage above described, which is in 

 my own collection, and the female in winter dress in the collection of Canon Tristram, which is 

 one of the types of the species. I may here remark that in the ' Birds of Europe ' I inadvertently 

 entered the female above described as being in the collection of Mr. Seebohm instead of that of 

 Canon Tristram, whereas the male from Oued Soudan, entered as being in the collection of 

 Canon Tristram, really belonged to Mr. Seebohm, and is now in the British Museum. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser, 

 a, <£ ad. Near Batna, Algeria, May 15th, 1893 (Dr. A. Koenig). 



E Mus. Brit, 

 a, $ . Oued Soudan, Algeria, November 29th, 1856 (H. B. Tristram). 



E Mus. H. B. Tristram. 



u, $ ad. Wed Nca, Algeria, December 15th, 1856; b, $ ad. Desert between Hadjira and Blad-el-Amar, 

 Algeria, December 23rd, 1856 (H. B. T. : types of the species). 



E Mus. H. Seebohm. 

 a, $ ad. Lambessa, Algeria, April 30th, 1882 (Dixon). 



E Mus. W. BothscMld. 

 a, $ ad. Batna, Algeria, May 22nd, 1893 (Dr. A. Koenig). 



