Identifier: birdnotes53fore (find matches)
Title: Bird notes
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Foreign Bird Club National British Bird and Mule Club
Subjects: Birds -- Periodicals Birds -- Great Britain Periodicals
Publisher: Brighton : Foreign Bird Club : National British Bird and Mule Club
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ed as jjecuhar to North-west Africa. In its habits generally/•. sf^dilioi^oics resembles our Kuro))ean Chaffinch, and I cannot say that Ibave noticed much difference in il.s song, although its notes may, perhaps.be a little harsher, and not so cleai as those of F. coclebs. To be able tojudge properly, however, one should hear individuals of the two speciessinging together, or one almost immediately after the other. In any case.however, the bright call notes of the Algerian Chaffinch, and its cheeryshort song, fall as pleasantly on the car in the North African woodlands asdoes the familiar note of its pAiropean congener at home, and they form noslight contribution to the wealth of bird music to be heard in some of thosedistricts during the spring and early summer months. This Chaffinch thrives well in confinement, and examples of it mayoften be seen in cages in Tunis and other towns of the Regency. Seeds ofvarious kinds seem to be the principle food of the species, but insects also Q
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£ O The Nesting of the Algerian Chaffinch. 15 largely enter into its diet. The nesting season of /. spodiogciics in Southernand Central Tunisia commences soon after the middle of March, and is con-tinued well into May. In the north of the Regency it is somewhat later.In the olive-groves of the Gafsa oasis I have found many nests during thefirst fortnight of April, some with eggs, others with fledglings in them.The nests are placed as a rule in the fork of a bough at a height of eightto sixteen feet from the ground, and resemble those of our EuropeanChaffinch, in being cup-shaped and neatly and compactly built, but they arcsomewhat larger, and composed externally of dry bents and grasses of agreyish colour, which harmonises better with the grey boughs and foliage ofthe olive-tree. Interwoven into the nest are pieces of wool and cottonthreads, and occasionally also a l)it of blue cotton stufif, probably picked upnear some Arab tent; the interior is neatly lined with hair and feathers.T

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