The Sky- Lark 183 



Practically the Aluudida constitute an Old World fainih', one species only 

 occurring in North America, whilst, as Jerdon observes, "They are very sparingly 

 represented in j\Iala3-ana and Australia." 



Familx- ALAUDID.E. 



The Sky-Lark. 



Alauda iDVCiisis, LiNN. 



FOUND during the summer months throughout the whole of Europe; nesting 

 in Scandinavia as far north as lat. 70°, whilst in North Africa it breeds 

 sparingly as far south as the slopes of the Atlas Mountains, and in the 

 east, in Russia and Siberia, and at high elevations in Japan, the valley of the 

 Amoor, South-east IMongolia, Turkestan and Persia. In winter it visits China, 

 North-west India, Afghanistan, Persia, Asia Minor, Palestine and Egypt. It has 

 been met with at Madeira, and is reputed to have occurred on Greenland. It has 

 also been introduced into the United States,* New Zealand and Australia. 



Throughout Great Britain and Ireland, the Sky-Lark is widely distributed, 

 abundant, and \^excepting in the extreme north) resident. 



The climatic variations of the Sky-Lark have been separated under several 

 distinctive names, such as A. dulcivox, A. japonica, A. caiitarclla, A. liopus, A. blak- 

 istoni, A. giilgiila, A. australis, A. axlivox, A. ivai/crsi, arid A. sala ; but so many 

 intergrades exist that Ornithologists generally are now content to regard them as 

 one variable species. 



Our Sky-Lark in breeding-plumage has the upper parts golden brown, with 

 blackish centres to the feathers ; edges of greater wing-coverts paler ; the outer- 

 most tail-feather white, with the exception of a blackish streak on the inner web; 



* Oue e:vample was also shot in the Bermudas, iu 1S50. 



