AGROBATES.
Tail strongly rounded, feathers very broad ; often found in dry and sandy localities; creeping birds, often on ground or perching in low trees with conspicuous movement of tail; nest in cactus, hedges, or fork of tree, often with piece of serpent skin interwoven; eggs variable, french white or pale grey, sometimes greenish, with underlying greyish blotches and small dark brown surface spots.
Agrobates galactotes galactotes (Temminck). humus \VARBLER.
Above bright reddish isabelline, tail redder ; supercilium white ; all but central pair of rectrices with black subterminal band and white tips ; beneath buffy white. Bill dark brown, pale at base below. Legs and feet pale brown. \Ving 83-89. Tarsus 25-27. Bill Breeds.—Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Egypt, Palestine. Migrates. Winters Africa, probably not south of the
line Port Soudan, Khartoum, Bahr el Ghazal. Rare visitor to Britain, Italy, Sicily, Heligoland, Malta.
A. galactotes syriacus (Hemprich and Ehrenberg). Upper parts brownish grey with only slight red tinge, rump and upper tail coverts brown red ; beneath greyer.
Breeds.—Balkan Peninsula, Ionian Islands, Greece to Asia Minor, Palestine (north of Lebanon), Syria. Rare visitor to west of Europe. Winters S. Arabia and N.E. Africa (recorded Kenya Colony in March).
A. galactotes fannliaris (M6netries). Upper parts grey brown, no red tinge, rump and tail duller ; underparts paler.
Rreeds.—S. Caucasus to N.W. India. Occurred once Heligoland.