BIRDS OP NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 303 



c. Darker, with black or dark sooty l)ro\vii prevailing on back. 



d. Veiy dark above, with more of lilack than brown, and spots white. 



Otocoris alpestris praticola, young (p. 311) 

 del. Moderately dark above, with black and brown in nearly equal amount, the 

 spots more buffy. 



0. a. hoyti, 0. a. enthymia, 0. a. chrysolaema, 0. a. strigata, 0. a. rubea." 

 cc. Paler, with light brown or buffy grayish brown prevailing on liack. 

 d. General color above grayer and rather paler. 



0. a. leucolaema, 0. a. giraudi, 0. a. ammophila, and 0. a. diaphoia'« 

 dd. General color alcove browner or more cinnamomeous and rather darker. 



0. a. occidentalis, 0, a. actia. 0. a. aphrasta, 0. a. adusta, and 0. a. oaxacse." 



OTOCORIS ALPESTRIS ALPESTRIS (Linnaeus). 

 SHORE LARK. 



Adult male in spring and summer. — A broad patch covering anterior 

 half of crown and posterior half ( more or less) of forehead and extend- 

 ing backward laterally to sides of occiput, where involving an elon- 

 gated erectile tuft of narrow feathers, black; anterior portion of fore- 

 head and broad superciliary stripe pal^ straw yellow or primrose 

 yellow, ustially paler (yellowish wliite) posteriorly; loral and suborbi- 

 tal regions and lower anterior portion of auricular region black, tliis 

 black area bordered posteriorly by light straw yellow, primrose yellow 

 or yellowish white, from lower posterior margin of eye backward and 

 downward across middle portion of auricular region, confluent below 

 with the more decidedly yellow (straw yellow) area covering chin and 

 throat ; upper and posterior margin of auricular region grayish brown 

 (hair brown); a broad, somewhat crescentic, patch of black across 

 upper chest and invading median lower portion of throat; median 

 posterior portion of crown, occiput, hindneck, lesser wing-coverts, 

 and terminal portion (broadly) of middle wing-coverts, between^dull 

 vinaceous and vinaceous-cinnamon, the upper tail-coverts similar but 

 rather more cinnamomeous, the longer accuminate coverts grayish 

 brown edged with paler; back, scapulars, and rump grayish brown, 

 the feathers edged with paler and with a central wedged-shaped area 

 of dusky, these markings larger on lower back and rump; wings 

 (except lesser and middle coverts) deep grayish brown (hair brown) 

 with paler edgings, the outermost primary broadly edged with white; 

 tail black, the middle pair of rectrices grayish brown with basal half 

 (except medially) more wood brown or fawn color, margined with 

 paler or dull whitish, the two lateral pairs edged exteriorly vnth. white 

 (except basally), the outermost with terminal portion of inner web 

 light grayish; under parts of body white, the sides and flanks dull 

 vinaceous or vinaceous-cinnamon, more or less streaked with dusky; 

 bill black, the basal half (more or less) of mandible light bluish gray 

 (in life); iris dark brown; legs and feet black. 



a The differences between these scarcely to be indicated in a key. 



