( ^^" ) 



canaiy-coloured plumage at the eud of the first year, but do not assnme the long 

 tail till the beginning of the second. As the birds breed gregarionslr, it would be 

 difficult to identify the actual owners of any particular nest." The truth of the above 

 remarks is partly borne out by the observations of Mr. A. B. Percival, who found 

 the females rare and difEcnlt to obtain, the majority of dull-coloured hen-like birds 

 in a flock proving on dissection to be males and referable to form iii. There are 

 several examples of form ii. — that is, the bright canary-yellow bird with the tail 

 normal. I have never seen examples of form i. with the " long, pale fawn-coloured, 

 almost white tail," and Mr, Percival did not meet with it. We may therefore infer 

 that it is a seasonal appendage, as some of the birds met with are evidently very old 

 examples. It is quite possible that the present species is not a true Passer and should 

 be placed in a distinct genus. 



[Rather scarce in the neighbourhood of Lahej, but very common in the Abian 

 Country.— A. B. P.]. 



11. Fringillaria striolata. 



Fringillaria striolata (Lieht.) Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Miis. xii. p. 5G1 (1888). 

 a. I), ad. Ma'ir, Abian Country. October 13th. 



This is the first time this species has been recorded from Southern Arabia. 

 12. Alaemon desertorum. 



Alaitiion desertorum (Staul.) ; Yerbury, Ihis 1890, p. 29. 



a. — b. t? ? ^^' Lahej. August 24th. 



c.—Ji. d ? ad. Shaik Othman. September 20th to 27th. 



(. cJ ad. Huswa, Bay of Aden. September 19th:to 20th. 



[Iris brown ; bill grey ; legs flesh-colour. 



This fine Lark is only found on the low deserts near the sea, and is commonest 

 along the coast to the west of Shaik Othman and eastwards towards Dar Mausur. 

 None were seen beyond the belt of Mimosa trees to the south of Lahej, and only one 

 or two were met with in the Abian Country. 



This Lark has a habit of flying up like a Skylark for perhaps 100 ft. and then 

 fluttering downwards, uttering a few notes as it drops. This usually takes place at 

 dawn. It is a very fast runner and is extremely difficult to catch. The flight is 

 very peculiar, and the white bars show very plainly and make the bird look much 

 like a Hoopoe when on the wing. — A. B. P.] 



13. Galerida cristata. 



Galerita crhlutu Linn. ; Yerbury, Ibis 189G, p. 29. 



Shaka, N. of Lahej. August 28th to 31st. 

 Haithalhim, N.W. of Lahej. September 6th. 

 Lahej. August 11th to September 8th. 

 Shaik Othman. September 22nd to 27th. 

 Huswa, Gulf of Aden. September 19th. 



I have handed the whole series of Crested Larks over to Mr. Hartert for 

 identification, and he has kindly furnished me with the following remarks : — 



" A considerable number of Crested Larks were collected at Shaik Othman, 

 Lahej, Shaka, Haithalhim, Huswa. Although they were collected at rather an 

 unfortunate time of year, most of the specimens bring in moult, the series shows 

 beyond doubt that they all belong to one form — viz., a sandy subspecies of the 



