AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 177 



1 S76ASkylark, Alauda arvensis, Eur., N. Afr., V. (intro- 

 12 duced). Mig. c. grass 7 



Upper warm-brown mottled, streaked darker; stripe over 

 eye lighter; throat, chest brownish-buff, streaked 

 brown; abdomen yellowish-white; f., smaller. In- 

 sects, seeds. Sings soaring; famous songster. 

 4 377*Bush-Lark,Horsfield Bush-Lark, Skylark (e), Mirafra 

 45 horsfieldi, E.A., W.A. Stat. r. grass 5.3 



Like 376, but plumper, shorter; bill stouter, almost finch- 

 like; f., sim. Insects, small seeds. Sings melodi- 

 ously soaring, also on moonlight nights; "one of our 

 most pleasing songsters." 

 F. 149. CatamMyrhynchidae, 2 sp. Nl. (Peru). 

 F. 150. FringilHdae, Finches, Grosbeak, Bullfinch, Bunting, 

 Cardinal (Am.), Crossbill, Chaffinch, Linnet, Red- 

 poll, Canary, 1087 sp.— 129(83)0., 202 (138) P., 

 107(96)E., 191(125)Nc, 529(474)N1. 

 1 377AGreenflnch, Green Linnet, Ligurinus chloris, Europe to 



10 Persia, V. (introduced). Stat. c. fields, gardens 6 

 Upper olive-green; golden-yellow eyestripe; tail yellow 



base, black tip; wing dark-brown, lined bright yellow; 

 under greenish-yellow, darker on flanks; f., much duller. 

 Seeds. "One of the prettiest of British songsters." 



1 377BGoldfinch, Thistle-Finch, Carduelis carduelis, Europe, 



11 Canary Is. to Egypt, to Persia, Siberia, V. (intro- 

 duced). Stat. v.c. fields 5 



Crown black; face, chin red; behind eye, throat, under, 

 upper base tail white; bright yellow on wings; f., sim. 

 Thistle seeds, insects. Loud, sweet song; "twit-it." 



2 377cTree-Sparro\v (Mountain-), Passer montanus, Eur., 



56 N. Asia, A. (introduced). Stat. r. trees 5.6 



Like 377d, but head, nape chestnut; black ear patch in 

 centre of a large white patch; two white bars on side 

 of wing; shier; f., sim. Seeds, insects. Chirps. 



Even New Zealand has its representative of this family. The 

 Wagtails of Britain and North America belong to this family, 

 whereas the so-called Australian Wagtail is a flycatcher. Like 

 the other members of its family, our Ground-Lark, or Pipit, some- 

 times sings beautifully as it soars. 



The Skylark of Britain comes in the next family (the 

 Alaudidae), which is almost cosmopolitan. This beautiful song- 

 ster, singing at Heaven's gate, pours forth a flood of melody. The 

 man who has these delightful songsters on open land near his 

 home is indeed fortunate. Australia has its representative of 

 this family — the Bush-Lark, a bird so remarkably like the Aus- 

 tralian Pipit in external appearance that it is well-nigh impos- 

 sible to distinguish them in the field. The Bush-Lark, however, 

 is "shorter, plumper, and has a stouter bill." It further has a 

 peculiar, greatly undulating flight. It mounts up, then sinks, 

 then mounts, and so on alternately, "singing all the time very 



