A BIRD OF THE OPEN PLAIN 207 



Finch-larks sometimes entertain queer notions as to 

 what constitutes a desirable nesting site. At Futteh- 

 garh Mr. A. Anderson once found a nest ** in the 

 centre of a lump of cow-dung, which must have been 

 quite fresh when some cow or bullock * put its foot in 

 it.' " ** As the foot-print," writes Mr. Anderson, " had 

 not gone right through to the ground, I was enabled 

 to remove the lump of dung without in any way hurt- 

 ing the nest. White ants had left their marks all over 

 the dry dung, so that detection was almost impossible : 

 it was altogether the most artfully concealed nest I 

 have ever seen." Scarcely less objectionable, from the 

 human point of view, was the site of the finch-lark's 

 nest found at Etawah by Hume, namely, on the 

 railway line, amongst the ballast between the rails. 

 *' When we think," says Hume, ** of the terrible heat 

 glowing from the bottom of the engine, the perpetual 

 dusting out of red-hot cinders, it seems marvellous 

 how the bird could have maintained her situation." 

 Verily, there is no accounting for taste ! Two eggs 

 are laid, which are like miniature lark's eggs. 



The other species of finch-lark found in South India 

 is Ammomanes phcenicura, the rufous-tailed finch-lark. 

 This, as its name indicates, has a reddish tail. The 

 rest of the plumage is brown. The sexes are alike. Its 

 habits are those of the ashy-crowned species. I have 

 not observed it in the vicinity of Madras. 



