256 SHORT-TOED LARK. 



more or less throughout the year in Greece, Turkey, Southern 

 Russia, Asia Minor and Palestine ; while further east we trace it to 

 Persia, Turkestan, the northern half of India, and as far east as 

 Lake Baikal. 



The nest is placed at the foot of a tuft of grass, or in a cavity, such 

 as a hoof-print ; bleached grass, with a few feathers, wool and hair as 

 a lining, forming the materials. The 4-5 eggs are dull white, mottled 

 and freckled with greyish-brown : measurements 78 by '58 in. 

 During the breeding-season the bird frequents dry and sandy soil, 

 and plains where the herbage is somewhat scanty ; while its tame- 

 ness is such as often to cause difficulty in shooting a specimen for 

 identification without blowing it to pieces, and I have seen a bird 

 cut down with a whip in the road. The male utters his short and 

 rather feeble song while perched on some clod or low wall, or during 

 a brief, undulating, and somewhat jerky flight. In autumn and 

 winter large flocks are formed, and in India, according to Jerdon, 

 they darken the air. The food consists principally of small seeds. 



The adult has the upper parts pale rufous-brown with darker 

 streaks ; a white line over each eye ; central tail-feathers dusky- 

 brown, the rest blackish-brown, except the outer pair which are 

 broadly margined with buffish-white ; under parts white, with a few 

 brown spots and streaks on the side of the neck, and a huffish 

 tinge on the breast and flanks. The short and conical bill is 

 yellowish-brown ; the legs are pale brown ; the hind claw is straight 

 and, as a rule, short, but subject to considerable variation. After the 

 moult both upper and under parts have a warm rufous tint, which is 

 sometimes retained until the middle of the following IMay. Length 

 575 in. ; wing 3*5 in. The sexes are alike in plumage. The 

 young bird has the feathers of the upper parts, including the tail, 

 broadly margined and tipped with buff. 



This Lark is one of a group of allied species which have been 

 placed by some systematists in the genus Calandrella, characterized 

 by the absence of crest, a stout conical bill, comparatively short 

 hind-toe, and an infinitesimal bastard primary. Several of its con- 

 geners are found over portions of the same area : for instance, Calan- 

 drella bci'tica in the extreme south of Spain, C. minor in North 

 Africa and the Canaries, and C. pispoletta in the steppe-region east 

 of the Volga. These three, however, are more closely related to one 

 another than to our bird, being distinctly marked with numerous 

 dark brown streaks on the throat and breast ; their eggs, moreover, 

 have bold spots on a creamy white ground. 



