SHORT- TOED LARK. 641 



the head dark brown, broadly edged with light fawn-colour so 

 as to produce a general striped appearance ; lores and a streak 

 over each eye pale cream-colour ; cheeks and ear-coverts 

 of the same, the latter mixed with dark brown, forming an 

 ill-defined patch under and behind the eye ; upper parts 

 generally very similar to the top of the head, l)ut rather 

 paler in hue, the light edges of the feathers on the nape and 

 of the upper tail-coverts very broad, shewing but little of 

 the darker colour, those of the feathers of the mantle 

 narrower ; wing-quills greyish-brown, the outer long primary 

 (in this genus the second) with a dull cream-coloured border, 

 the shorter primaries and secondaries bordered outwardly 

 and tipped with a lighter shade ; tail-quills dark brown, the 

 outer web of the outer pair dull white, and their inner web 

 with an ill-defined, triangular, white patch extending two- 

 thirds of its length from the tip, the next pair with the outer 

 web bordered and the inner slightly tipped with dull white, 

 the middle pair broadly edged with bright sandy-grey ; chin, 

 throat and lower parts generally, dull white, clouded on the 

 sides of the neck with fawn-colour, so as to form an ill- 

 defined darker patch, on the upper part of which are a few 

 dark brown feathers ; flanks pale mouse-colour : legs, toes 

 and claws light brown. 



The sexes are hardly distinguishable in plumage ; but the 

 female is said to want the dark marking on the sides of the 

 neck and to be somewhat duller in tint. The young have 

 the outer edge of each feather tipped with buff. 



The whole length of the Shrewsbury specimen was five 

 inches and three-quarters ; the tarsus three-quarters of- an 

 inch ; the hind toe half an inch, its claw a quarter of an 

 inch ; from the carpal joint to the tip of the wing three 

 inches and a half; the first primary is so small as not to be 

 easily discovered, and the third, having the appearance of 

 the second, is the longest in the wing, the second and fourth 

 are a little shorter. 



VOL. I. 4 N 



