308 Du A* Hall on the Mammals and Birds 



Genus Stumus. 

 Gen. char. Bill conical but long, depressed, obtuse ; base of 

 upper mandible projecting on the forehead ; nostrils broad, lateral, 

 semi-closed by a membrane ; tongue sharp, bifid ; exterior and 

 middle toes connected at base ; 2nd and 3rd primaries longest. 

 S. Ludovicianus. Meadow Lark or Starling. 

 Alauda magna of Wilson ! 

 Sturnella magna. Baird 1 

 v.s.p. Upper mandible horn colour ; lower one, with the basal 

 and distal thirds horn colour, centre white ; legs and feet pale 

 flesh colour ; eggs 4 to 5, white tinged with blue spotted with 

 reddish brown. 



Dorsal aspect. Three streaks of white separated by two of 

 brownish black on the crown of head ; neck, dorsal region, rump, 

 tail and wing coverts, with scapulars brownish black, the feathers 

 edged with chestnut, which is terminated by a white margin ; 

 primaries and secondaries brown, edged with brownish white on 

 the outer vanes of the former, and barred and edged with the 

 same colour on the outer vanes of the latter ; tail rounded ; 3 

 lateral tail feathers wholly white except towards the end of the 

 outer vanes ; 4th brownish black, with a white streak down the 

 centre ; the centre feathers brown, edged with whitish brown with 

 imperfect bars ; a streak from the orbit to nostrils gamboge yel- 

 low ; behind the eye a black line terminating behind the auricu- 

 lars which are grey ; cheeks white. 



Ventral aspect. Chin, throat, breast and belly, gamboge yel- 

 low with a crescent of black on the chest, and a triangular spot 

 of the same colour on each side of the throat ; flanks white, spotted 

 with black ; vent dirty white ; tail coverts brownish white with 

 a black streak in the centre of each feather. 



1st and 2nd primaries subequal; some of the secondaries elon- 

 gated, nearly equal in length to the 3rd primary. Length 9| 

 inches ; alar breadth 14 inches. The young bird has the yellow 

 fainter and the crescent of a duller black. This is a very rare 

 bird in this district, but is occasionally met with. 

 Genus Corvus. 

 Gen. char. Bill thick, compressed at the sides, stout, and bent 

 towards the apex ; nostrils basal, open, and concealed by the pro- 

 jecting bushy feathers of the frontlet ; toes like the other genera 

 of this family, but free ; middle toe shorter than the tarsus ; 3rd 

 and 4th primaries longest ; wings long and acuminate. 



