624 ALAUDID^. 



stripe over each eye pale ochreous, ear-coverts reddish-brown 

 with dark streaks ; top of the head and upper parts generally 

 varied with three shades of brown, the darkest of which is 

 glossy and lies along the shaft of each feather, and then 

 becoming tinged with rust-colour passes into light yellowish- 

 brown at the margins, some of the feathers, especially on 

 the occiput and mantle being also slightly tipped with white ; 

 the light borders of the wing-coverts and tertials are broader 

 and tinged with rufous, while in them the darker shade is 

 less apparent ; the coverts of the primaries creamy- white ; the 

 primaries and secondaries dusky brown outwardly edged with 

 rust-colour, the outer margin of the outer primary being 

 very pale ; the tail dark brown, the middle pair of feathers 

 broadly edged with a lighter shade, the outer pair having the 

 whole outer and great part of the inner web white ; the next 

 pair with nearly all the outer web white ; the whole lower 

 surface pale yellowish-white, tinged with brown, the throat 

 and sides of the neck with dark brown, lanceolate spots, 

 which becoming larger and thicker form a gorget just above 

 the breast, the sides of the body and flanks tinged with 

 rufous and streaked with dark brown : the legs and toes 

 yellowish-brown ; the claws dusky. 



The whole length of the male is seven inches and a quarter, 

 from the carpal joint to the tip of the wing, four inches and 

 a half; the second primary a little shorter than the third. 



The female is a little smaller than the male, and, according 

 to Mr. Stevenson, rather narrower across the shoulders, so 

 that expert Lark-catchers can even in the dark distinguish 

 the sex of the birds by handling them. 



Broad edgings to the great wing-coverts, and a black spot 

 with a white tip at the lanceolate ends of the smaller coverts, 

 bespeak the young bird : these markings are lost at the first 

 moult, which begins in August. 



