12. ALATJDULA, 587 



Range. Countries of the Mediterranean, eastwards through Asia 

 Minor and S.E. Russia to Persia and Central Asia, extending to 

 Mongolia and Northern China, as well as to Northern India and 

 the Eurmese countries. 



The races of IShort-toed Larks, of which A. pispoJetta is the tj-pe, 

 are very closel)^ allied, but do not seem to grade one into the other, 

 the geographical ranges of the various races being apparently well 

 marked. 



T\iQ pispoletta group of the genus AJaudula divides itself into two 

 sections, with a brown and sandy plumage, or a grey one. The grey 

 uK'mbers of the group are three in number, the best-kuown species 

 being A. rai/tal, which has a very long bill. The allied form, 

 A. udamsi, only differs from A. raytal in its shorter bill, and is a 

 typical Alandula as regards the latter, so that it would be absurd 

 to consider A. raijtal as anything more than a long-billed race of 

 A. adamsi, or vice versa. Tbe late Dr. Severtzoff was inclined to 

 consider his A. leiicophcea as identical with A. adamsi, but I find 

 that it constitutes a larger race with much more white on the tail. 



As to the other group, consisting of A. pispoletta, all the races 

 appear to be well-defined, and each of them has its own habitat, 

 with the exception of A. pispohtta itself, of which there is a paler 

 form in Turkestan. All the other races are recognizable by their 

 characters giveu below, which, although slight, appear to be 

 constant. 



1. Alaudula pispoletta. 



Alauda pispoletta, Fall. Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. i. p. 526 (1811) ; Bp. 



Comp. List, p. 87 (laSS) ; Degl. et Gerbe, Orn. Eur. i. p. 341 



(1867) ; Grmj, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 119, no. 7778 (1870) ; Bogd. B. 



Cauc. p. 75 (1879) ; Gdtke, Ibis, 1879, p. 379 ; Seeb. Ibis, 1880, 



p. 188; Homeyer Sf Tancre, MT. orn. Ver. If7e«, 1883, p. 90; 



Seeb. Hist. Br. B. ii. p. 275 (1884). 

 Calandritis pispoletta. Cab. Mns. Hein. Th. i. p. 122, note (1850). 

 Alauda (Philemeros) brachydactyla [nee LeisL), Radde, Reis. Sibir., 



Viiy. p. 150 (1863) ; cf. Bogd. J.f. O. 1877, p. 93. 

 Calandrella pispoletta, Filipjn, Viagg. Persia, p. 348 (1865) ; Severtz. 



Tiirkest. Jevotn. p. 67 (1873) ; Dresser, B. Eur. iv. p. 355, pi. 237 



(1873) ; id. Ibis, 1876, p. 182 ; Bogd. J. f. O. 1877, p. 91 ; Seeb. 



Ibis, 1883, p. 12 ; Radde. Orn. Cauc. p. 206 (1884) ; Gigl. Avif. 



Ital. p. 59 (1886) ; Salvad. Elench. Ucc. Ital. p. 155 (1886) ; Gigl. 



Avif. Ital. 1st Resoc. p. 120 (1889). 

 Calandritis heinii, E. von Homeyer, J.f. O. 1873, p. 197. 

 Calandi-ella minor {nee Cab.), Banf. Ibis, 1878, p. 21. 

 Melanocorypha pispoletta, Seeb. Ibis, 1882, p. 217. 



Adult male in summer plumage. Similar to C. hracliydactyla, but 

 altogether greyer and browner, and distinguished by the black stripes 

 on the fore neck and chest and flanks, and by the shape of the wing, 

 the secondaries being very much shorter than the primaries. Total 

 length 5-7 inches, cnlmen 0-4, wing 3-8, tail 2-2, tarsus 0*8. 



Adtdt female. Similar to the male. Total length 5-6 inches, 

 culmon 0-45, wing 3-5, tail 2-25, tarsus 0'75. 



