528 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
South-eastern Africa. Mr. T, E. Buckley had one specimen in his 
collection from the Transvaal, and we have seen four examples from 
Damara Land. 
Adult.—Above dusky brown, the feathers margined with ashy 
buff, but the general character of the upper surface more dingy than 
in most other Larks, some of the back feathers washed with fulvous ; 
wing-coverts dull brown, narrowly margined with fulvous, the 
greater series with rufescent margins, especially at the tip; quills 
dark brown, the primaries with broad rufous margins narrowing 
towards the tip, the secondaries with ashy fulvous edgings ; lower 
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts dull brown, slightly varied with 
ashy fulvous margins; tail dark brown, the central feathers paler 
and plainly margined with fulvous, the other feathers less plainly 
edged, the penultimate one broadly margined with white on outer 
web, the outermost feather white at base, but obliquely white for 
more than the terminal half; lores and a distinct eyebrow sandy 
buff; ear-coverts rufous, spotted with dark brown, especially on the 
hinder margin ; cheeks, throat, and sides of neck buffy white; rest 
of under surface creamy buff washed with isabelline on the chest, 
which is thickly spotted with dark brown, a few spots of which 
colour extend on to the throat; under wing-coverts isabelline, 
resembling the inner lining of the quills, with a few spots of brown 
on the carpal edge of the wing ; “ beak horn coloured ; legs sienna ; 
iris hazel”? (7. H. Buckley). Total length, 5°3 inches ; culmen, 0°6 ; 
wing, 3°1; tail, 2°5; tarsus, 0°85. 
It is very closely allied to M. cheniana but is a much larger bird, 
has not the red borders to the wing-coverts, nor is it so richly coloured. 
The white border does not extend on to the inner web of the 
penultimate tail-feathers in the present bird, whereas in M. cheniana 
it extends to the inner web of the penultimate, and even forms a 
border to the third feather. 
Fig. Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1874, pl. Ixxv, fig. 1. 
517. Mrrarra cHENIANA, Snvith. Latakoo Lark. 
Megalophonus chenianus, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 214. 
This species appears to be rather rare. Sir Andrew Smith found 
it first on the extensive grassy plains to the northward and eastward 
of Latakoo. He says that it prefers situations abounding in long 
rank grass, amongst which it runs; it feeds on grass and insects. 
