418 bikds of india. 



The Madras Bush-lark. 



Descr. — Plumage above dusky brown, with pale rufous edges 

 to the feathers, and a pale supercilium ; ear-coverts pale rufous, 

 tipped with dusky ; beneath white, faintly tinged with fulvous, and 

 with the breast marked with large oval brown drops ; ([uills dusky 

 brown, rufous on the outer web of all (except the first two) to 

 near the tip, and with the inner webs rufous at the base, that 

 color obliquely margining them to near the tip ; the four central 

 feathers of the tail pale brown, the others darkish brown, the two 

 outermost edged with yellowish white on their outer webs. 



Bill dusky, fleshy beneath ; legs fleshy ; irides brown. Length 

 5f to 6 inches ; wing 3j ; tail 1| ; bill at front y^j ; tarsus y^^ ; hind 

 toe and claw |. 1st quill above 1 inch long, 2nd about ^j^ shorter 

 than the next three ; tail very short ; bill moderately thick. 



This Busii-lark is found on the Malabar Coast, in the Carnatic, 

 in ]\Iysore, and the southern part of the table-land, extending 

 North to Goomsoor and Midnapore. Col. Tytler states that it 

 occurs at Barrackpore, but it is certainly very rare in Bengal. 

 It is also found in Ceylon, and I lately found it abundant at 

 Thayet-myo in Upper Burmah. 



It is a tolerably familiar bird, entering gardens, and coming 

 close to houses, and docs not care so much, as some others of the 

 genus, to conceal itself from observation, for it simply squats, in 

 general, close to the ground, and does not hide itself. It frequent- 

 ly perches on shrubs or even on trees, and takes short flights in 

 the air, descending again with outspread wings. It breeds on the 

 ground, making a loose nest of grass, under the shelter of a bush 

 or tuft of grass, and lays three or four eggs, greenish grey, 

 with spots and stains of brown and dusky. It has a pleasant 

 little song which it utters during its short flights, or occasionally 

 from the ground. Specimens from the Carnatic have a redder 

 tinge than others from Midnapore and Ceylon. 



756. Mirafra erythroptera, Jerdon. 



Jerdon, 111. Ind. Orn. pi. 3S— Blytii, Cat. 744— HoRSF., 

 Cat. 717 — ]\I. Javanica, apud Jerdon, Cat. ISd- Jungli ctf/gia, 

 II. — Chinna eeli-jitta, TeL 



