ALAUDIN^. 425 



and especially roads, where it may often be seen dusting 

 itself, it is remarkblc for the sudden ascents and descents 

 of its flight, mounting up some height by a few flappings of its 

 wings, and then descending almost perpendicularly, till it nearly 

 reaches the ground, when it again rises a? before, and repeats 

 this several times. In general, it takes but a short flight, and, on 

 alighting, squats close to the ground, and will almost allow itself 

 to be ridden over before it rises. It occasionally may be seen 

 seated on the house-top, but I never saw it perch on a tree except 

 on one occasion, when I observed about twelve or fifteen of them 

 perched on a low tree close to cantonment in the hot weather. It 

 makes its nest, from January to xMarch, in the Deccan, later further 

 north, on the ground in a slight hollow, with grass, thread, pieces 

 of cloth, &c., and lays two or three eggs of a light greenish grey 

 tint, with small brown spots, chiefly at the larger end. The young 

 birds are plumaged like the true larks. Sundevall says that he 

 heard it singing in the air like a lark, with expanded wings. This 

 I have not witnessed. 



It remains the whole year in India, and, in the cold season, 

 sometimes collects in large flocks, and is then often shot for table 

 as the ' Ortolun.'' Layard says, that it visits Ceylon in flocks, in 

 the cold weather, but does not breed there. 



Several species of this genus occur in Africa, and have been 

 figured in Dr. Smith's Zoology of South Africa. 



In the next group, the vrings are much lengthened, the 1st 

 primary rudimentary, or even wanting in some. To this belongs 

 the Calandra Larks, and Calandrella, in which the bill is still 

 thick and short, and the plumage plain, not strongly streaked ; and, 

 in Calandra there is a patch of black on the breast, assimilating 

 them to the preceding birds. 



Gen. Calandkella, Kaup. 

 Syn. CorypMdea, Blyth. 



Char. — Bill short, sub-conic, moderately compressed ; wings 

 long, straight ; first primary minute, the next three primaries about 

 equal ; tertiaries elongated ; feet small, with shortish toes, and 

 moderately short, but straight hind claw. 



This form has more the aspect of a Bunting than a Lark, 



3 H 



