294 
Rev. H. B. Tristram on the 
dwells in the Desert, there it is found his constant companion. 
Probably there are frequent instances of hybrids in the gardens, 
where both species may be found together. 
26. Corospiza simplex (Temm.). (Desert Sparrow.) 
This charming and characteristic little Sparrow, figured by 
Temminck, PI. Col. 358, and described from Nubian specimens, 
was first ascertained to be a resident in the Sahara in the winter of 
1856, when I obtained several examples in the oasis of Hadjira. 
Capt. Loche has since found it in the Wed M'zab. It is a rare 
bird in all its localities, living in little companies of five or six 
together in the outskirts of the Palm-groves among the stunted 
and sand-choked Date-palms, and never, according to our ob¬ 
servation, venturing into the cultivated portions of the Oases. 
It is scarcely necessary to add that it is confined to the most 
southern limits of the Algerian Sahara. It is shy and silent, 
and hops from leaf to leaf more like a Sylvia than a sparrow, 
running along the ground from tree to tree, and then skulking 
in the heart of the Date-buds, where it probably finds its insect 
food. The difference in colouring between the male and female 
is singular, the male being of an ashy sand-colour above and 
white below, while the female is of a uniform rich rufous sand- 
colour. It is almost impossible to detect her on the ground, 
though only a few feet from the observer. I never found the Desert 
Sparrow in the open country, nor indeed more than a few yards 
from a tree, and I observed its habits the more carefully for 
several days, as I fully believed it to be a new species. 
27. Erythrospiza githaginea. (Vinous Grosbeak.) 
Pound generally dispersed on the gravelly steppes in the north 
of the Sahara, but not in the sandy districts. In winter it is 
gregarious, and may be seen in small flocks industriously search¬ 
ing under every stone, or picking the buds of the Desert plants. 
In spring these flocks disperse, and retire to pair among the 
lonely ‘weds' and cliffs, where they breed in holes, laying an egg 
resembling that of the Bullfinch, but the ground of a much deeper 
blue. The nest is slight, composed entirely of fine roots and 
fibrous grasses. In flight and general appearance at a distance 
the Vinous Grosbeak much resembles the Mountain Linnet. 
