FRINGILLID^. 215 



white, streaked on the throat, breast, and flanks, with umber- 

 brown ; wing-feathers brown, edged with reddish-orange ; 

 tail the same ; vent white, streaked with clear reddish- 

 orange; eyebrows rusty- white. Length, 6" 6'" ; wings, 3" 7"; 

 tail, 2" 10'". 



Thinly distributed between the Berg and Orange Eivers, close to the 

 Western Coast. Found also on karroo sparingly covered with brush- 

 wood. It -whistles in the mornings, soars like a true lark, and on 

 descending commonly perches on a shrub. Feeds on seeds aud small 

 insects. — Dr. A. Smith, loc. cit. 



Mr. Atmore found it at Traka ; and forwards the eggs, which are 

 cream-coloured, profusely spotted, especially at the obtuse end, with 

 purple and brown : axis, 11'" ; diam. 8'". He states that the birds are 

 never gregarious, but always in pairs. 



433. MegalophonUS GuttatUS. (Lafren.) Rev. 



ZooL, 1839, 259. 

 Above rufous, with a broad dark-brown stripe down the 

 centre of each feather, those of the wings and tail edged with 

 dirty nankin ; under parts all dirty-white, much mottled 

 longitudinally with brown lines. Length, 6" ; wing, 3" 4'" ; 

 tail, 2" 9'". 



This species was procured in the Karroo by Mr. Atmore. I found 

 it abundantly as far as Nel's Poort, and observed it in the Karroo 

 between Worcester and Eobertson. It constructs a snug cup-shaped 

 nest of hair and grasses, in a hole under a low bush ; and the eggs, 

 three to five, are of a dirty- white, spotted with brown and purple, chiefly 

 in the form of a ring round the obtuse end : axis, 9'"; diam. , 1'" 



434. Megalophonus Apiatus, Vieii., n. Diet. 



d'Hist, Nat. 1, p. 342; Brachonyx Apiata, Smith, 



Zool. S. A., PI. 110; UAl. Bateleuse, Le \^ail.. No. 



194; Cuvier, Vol. 2, p. 11 7 ; A. Clamosa, Steph. ; 



Clapert Leeuwerk of Colonists. 

 Upper parts, ashy-grey, variegated with reddish, dark-brown, 

 black, and white markings, very elegantly blended ; on the 

 wings these colours appear to form small bars ; on the head 

 longitudinal stripes ; chin white ; sides of head, neck, breast, 

 and belly, dirty-nankin, the latter with a deep rufous tinge, 

 the former all speckled with dark-brown ; tail-feathers brown, 

 margined with nankin, which coloui- prevails over the outer 

 web of the outer pair, two inner paiis ashy-grey, faintly 

 barred like the wings; iris rich brown-chesnut. Length, 

 6" 3'" ; wing, 3" 2'" ; tail, 2" 3'". 



This beautiful lark, of whose elegant colours it is impossible to 

 convey any idea by mere words, is common in all the Western districts 



