VIL ALAUDIDAE 497 
to our shores; while Galerita cristata, the Crested Lark, Calandrella 
brachydactyla, the Short-toed Lark, and Melanocorypha sibirica, 
the White-winged Lark, occur occasionally. The Sky-Lark has been 
introduced into Long Island, N.Y., Australia, and New Zealand. 
The bill is long and curved in Certhilauda and Alaemon, shorter 
and slender in Alauda, similar but more robust in Galerita, abbrevi- 
ated and conical in Calandrella, Pyrrhulauda, and Melanocorypha, 
and extraordinarily stout in Rhamphocorys, with a gap between the 
maxilla and mandible. The metatarsus is elongated, and may be 
more slender as in Certhilauda, or stouter as in Galerita and Melano- 
corypha ; the hind-claw is generally much lengthened and straight, 
but may be short and curved, as in Calandrella, Pyrrhulauda, 
Fia. 107.—Sky-Lark. Alauda arvensis. x4. 
and Alaemon. The wing varies much in length, many forms 
having the outer primary almost aborted, though in Mirafra and 
elsewhere it is of fair size ; the inner secondaries are nearly as long 
as the primaries in Calandrella. The tail is moderate or slrort, 
and may be rounded, nearly square, or emarginate. The normal 
coloration is hght-brown with darker longitudinal streaks, the 
under parts being whitish and frequently spotted anteriorly ; desert 
forms, however, often have uniform pale buff or rufous plumage 
for example, Galerita isabellina and Ammomanes.  Melanocorypha 
yeltoniensis is nearly black in the male; others of the same genus 
have a black gorget; the black-cheeked Rhamphocorys, Alaemon 
alaudipes and Melanocorypha sibirica exhibit white wing-patches ; 
while Ofocorys has a projecting black tuft on each side of the 
occiput, black cheeks, lores, and bands on the crown and breast, the 
VOL. IX 2K 
