( 142 ) 



The Genus GALEMDA* Boie. 



Tlie crested larks, it will be aclmitted by all ornithologists, are very difficult 

 to distingnisli, as many of the various forms rnn into each otlier in a puzzling 

 manner. This, however, is certainly no reason to treat them with contemjit and 

 neglect, but on the contrary makes them liighly interesting, as being an instructive 

 example to what an extent local modification is sometimes effected by natural 

 causes. 



The splendid opportunity which Sharpc had in 1^0(), when writing the thirteenth 

 volume of the Catalogs of lUrdx, was not much used for defining the various 

 subspecies of Galcrida, as the fretpient occurrence of intermediately coloured 

 individuals influenced Dr. Sharpe so much that he did not allow even subspecific 

 rank to most of the forms. It is true that he enumerated the specimens iu the 

 3Iuseum in four gronps or " races," but most of them are mixtures of different forms. 

 The occurrence of intermediate specimens has often been the reason for Dr. Sharpe 

 to disregard the most marked snbsiiecies. There is therefore, iu fact, not much 

 <lifference between this author's species and his subspecies, and it is more out 

 of a kind of " feeling," effected by his unparalleled experience in ornithology, that 

 this eminent naturalist has sometimes made use of the method of creating or 

 allowinsr " subspecies." In the genus (ialerida, on the other hand, he gave full 

 specific rank, besides G. cristuta, to three forms, i.e. G. tlieldae, G. molabarica, 

 and G. isabelliiia, which are not more different from several of the forms of 

 G. cristatd than are, for example, tlie dark form of the Nile Delta and the i)ale, 

 desert-like-coloureil, long-ldlled iiKirrorkijnrha of Tunis and Algeria, or several 

 others — only Sharpe did not come across intermediate forms, and therefore gave 

 them full specific rank. There is, however, not a single character found in those 

 three supposed good species which is not found or indicated in one or the other 

 form of G. i-rixtntn, and intermediate forms may be discovered any day ; therefore 

 it is evidently not wrong to enumerate them also as subspecies of G. cridatn. 



Another species, G. cleca, has by many authors been separated generically, 

 nnder the name of Spizalaiida (hva, but it has no characters that can be regarded 

 as more than specific, if we study other gronps of larks. Gates {B. of Jndi'i, II.) 

 has therefore done well in reuniting it with Galeridn ; but it is apparently a very 

 well marked species, standing more alone than any of the other forms. 



A number of articles on members of the genus Galerida have already been written 

 since the appearance of Vol. XIII. of the Cutalogue of Hi/d.s. This is, in my opinion, 

 a good sign for the activity of ornithologists. Soon after the appearance of Sharpe's 

 work (in fact most of it was written, but not printed, Itefore his volnme appeared) 

 I enumerated tlie specimens in the Senckenbergian Museum at Frankfort, calling 

 one form G. ciistnta, another G. criatata macrork>/ncha, and describing a third as 

 a new species, calling it G. riippelli {.T. f. O. ISOi), jij). 102, 103 ; Kat. Voyrlsamml. 

 Mus. Franhf. p. 40, 1801). I lielieved for some time that there was a possibility 

 of my G. riippelli being the same as Alctuda praetcrmissa Blanf. (which would 

 probably better be placed in the genus Galerida [cf Salvadori, Ann. Miis. Geneva 

 (2) 1, 1884, J). 168 ; (2) C, 1888, p. 260] as it has a longer first primary than any 



• This is the original spelling of the name. It has afterwards by many authors been altered int« 

 /ralerita, but this correction is not acceptable, as the name Galvrila is tlmt of a very well known genus 

 of Cofepj/U'ra, which was established long before 1828, when Boie created ti'aleri'ht. 



