258 EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



boldly denned, and not so numerous. They resemble those of 

 the Calandra Lark much more closely, as might be expected, but 

 are on an average smaller. 



THE CALANDRA LARK. 



(Alauda calandra.) 

 Plate 58, Fig. 16. 



This large Lark has doubtless occurred in England, and may 

 visit it again, but the only two examples as yet recorded were dis- 

 covered in dealers' shops, without any authentic history. The 

 Calandra is a common resident in the basin of the Mediterranean, 

 where there are sandy plains, but is not known to breed north of 

 Venice. In south-east Europe it extends slightly more to the 

 north, but the bird is very local. East of the Caucasus, it nests 

 throughout Persia and Turkestan as far as Lake Saisan. 



The nest is always built upon the ground amongst herbage, and 

 is made of dry grass, rootlets, etc., and lined with finer material. 



The eggs are four or five in number, and somewhat resemble 

 those of the Sky Lark ; they are indistinguishable from those of 

 the White-winged Lark, except that on an average they are 

 slightly larger. They vary in length from 1"0 to 0'85 inch, and 

 in breadth from 0'75 to 0'65 inch. 



SHORT-TOED LARK. 

 {A lauda brachydactyla.) * 



Plate 58, Fig. 14. 



The Short-toed Lark has been met with at least half a dozen 

 times in our Islands. Its breeding home is in Southern Europe, 

 and it extends east to Turkestan. 



The nest is a simple little structure made of dry grass, rootlets, 

 etc., very closely resembling the nest of the Sky Lark. 



The eggs of the Short-toed Lark are four or five in number, 

 sometimes only three, creamy white in ground-colour, profusely 

 mottled and speckled with pale neutral-brown, and with under- 

 lying markings of grey. They vary from 0"87 to 0'69 inch in 

 length, and from 0"62 to 0"55 inch in breadth. The eggs are much 



* Calandrella brachydactyla — Sharpe, Handb., I., p. 86. 



