17. GALERITA. 625 



17. GALESITA. 



T)ije. 



Galerida, Boie, Isis, 1823, p. .321 CI. cristata. 



Heterops, llod'js. in Graijs Znl. Misc. p. 84 (1841) . . G. cristata. 



Manje. Central aaJ .Soiitherii Earopa, exteadin^ to Abyssinia, 

 and to Senega oibia and the Xiger in \Yest Africa; eastwards to 

 Central Asia, India, and Northern China. 



Galerita cristata and its allies. 



There are four forms of Crested Lark ^yhich are clearly distin- 

 guishable by characters : one is the typical G. cristata, the desert 

 form 6r. isaheUiiia, and the Western Indian bird, always called 

 Spizalauda malaharlca by authors, but which I consider to be a 

 true Galerita. G. thecMce of Erehm also appears to stand distinct, 

 but all the races of G. cristata run more or loss one into the other. 

 These four forms may be distinguished as follows : — 



Key to the Sjjecies. 



a. Centre tail-feathers ashy brown, the, light pattern 



of the outer feather brown or rufescent ; flanks 

 streaked witli brown or rufous-browu ; under 

 wiug-coverts rcifous isabelline cristata, p. 62j. 



b. Similar to the foregoing, but with the uuderparts 



tinged with yellow ; the crest very short ; the 

 culmen O'-VO-B inch ; the breast thickly spotted 

 and the flauks coarsely streaked with black .... thecklcc, p. 633. 



c. Centre tail-feathers blackish, as also the crest- 



feathers ; light pattern of outer tail-feather deep 

 rufous ; flanks coarsely streaked with black like 

 the breast; under wiug-coverts chestnut-rufous. malabarica,^.GSS. 



d. Centre tail-feathers sandy rufous like the light 



pattern of the outer feather ; flauks not streaked ; 



under wing-coverts isabelline isabellina, p. G3o. 



Of G. cristata there are several races, at tirst sight somewhat 

 distinct in appearance, but it is impossible to draw an exact line of 

 demarcation between them. First there is the dark form from 

 Northern Europe, the true G. cristata of Linnajus, with a dusky 

 outer tail-feather and rather distinctly striped flanks. Then in 

 Southern Europe and the Mediterranean countries generally is a 

 race of G. cristata, very similar to the typical bird, but differing in 

 its rufescent outer tail-feather. It has also the striped flanks of 

 the northern bird. The latter, however, must migrate to the south, 

 as I have seen specimens from Egypt and Morocco which are abso- 

 lutely identical with the northern specimens. 



The measurements of the true G. cristata are as follows : — 

 Sweden: d" , wing 4-0-4-1 ; 2, 3-8-3-9. Heligoland: <S , wing 

 ■I-l. Giirlitz : c? , wing -l-lo, Egypt : d , wing 4-0-4-2 ; 5 , 3-9. 

 Total c? , wing 4-0-4-2 ; $ , :3-S-3-9. Of the rufous-tailed race the 



VOL. XIII. 2 s 



