160 SHORE LARK. 



organs, PI. XIII, Fig. 4, are in all respects similar to those of 

 that species. The tongue is narrow, tapering, sagittate and 

 papillate at the base, its tip lacerated. The oesophagus is 

 three inches long, and of nearly uniform diameter, being des- 

 titute of crop. The stomach is a very muscular gizzard, 

 roundish, compressed, nine-twelfths of an inch long, its lateral 

 muscles very large, as are its tendons, its cuticular lining longi- 

 tudinally rugous, and of a reddish-brown colour, as is usually 

 the case in birds that feed on coleopterous insects. The in- 

 testine is seven inches and an eighth in length, and diminishes 

 in diameter from 2| twelfths to a twelfth and a half, then 

 expands into the rectum, which is one inch long ; the coeca 

 cylindrical, two twelfths in length. The tarsus is slender and 

 compressed, its upper scutella rather indistinct ; the hind and 

 lateral toes are nearly equal, excluding the claws, of which 

 that of the first toe is extremely elongated, nearly straight, 

 ( J compressed, and tapering to an acute point, 

 the rest rather long, very slightly arched. 

 Fig. 138. laterally grooved, and very acute ; the 



first toe has six, the second seven, the third nine, the fourth 

 ten scutella. The plumage is soft and blended, the feathers 

 ovate, with loose margins, and a long slender plumule. There 

 is a longitudinal band of slender, pointed, erectile feathers on 

 each side of the head, over the eye. The wings are long ; the 

 first quill obsolete, the third generally longest, the second 

 (which is actually the first) almost as long, and a little longer 

 than the fourth ; the inner primaries and outer secondaries 

 emarginate, the inner three elongated and obtuse. The tail is 

 of moderate length, and emarginate. 



The bill is greyish-black, the base of the lower mandible 

 bluish-white ; the feet and claws brownish-black tinged with 

 grey. The upper parts are pale brownish-red, each feather 

 with its central part dusky brown, excepting on the hind-neck, 

 which is reddish grey, and the upper tail-coverts, which are 

 brownish-red. The wing-coverts are brownish-red, the first 

 row of small coverts and the secondary coverts slightly tipped 

 with whitish. The quills are dusky, edged with brownish - 

 red, the outer with white. The tail feathers are black, the 



