MIRAFRA CHENIANA, 529 
Mr. T. C. Atmore procured it on the Whittlesea Flats in the eastern 
district, and Mr. Ayres says that it is found in the Mariqua district, 
where both bush and glade are pretty equally distributed. He 
writes :—“ This Lark somewhat resembles in its habits the English 
Skylark, rismg in the air in the early morning, with the same 
fluttering flight and singing sweetly all the time. I observed this 
in the middle of February, towards the end of our summer; and the 
birds were then in pairs. The food of this species consists of small 
insects.” 
This species is very like M. fringillaris, but is smaller and has the 
three tail-feathers white on their outer webs. 
Adult.—Above dark brown, almost blackish, the feathers margined 
with sandy rufous, especially broad on the hind neck, some few 
of the scapular feathers with narrow fulvous tips; wings rufous, the 
coverts having dark brown bases, the greater series dark brown, 
margined with rufous, shading off into fulvous on the extreme edge ; 
quills dark brown, with very broad rufous margins, the edges of the 
secondaries more fulyous ; upper tail-coverts dark brown, with ashy 
fulvous margins ; tail dark brown, the two centre feathers margined 
with rufous, shading off into fulvous towards the tips; the two 
outermost feathers pure white, with a touch of brown near the base 
of the outer, but occupying the half of the mner web of the penulti- 
mate feather for all its length, as well as a short distance towards 
the end of the shaft; feathers above and below the eye, forming a 
distinct eyebrow, creamy buff; ear-coverts rufous, slightly mottled 
with dark brown, as also are the cheeks and sides of the neck, which 
are white; throat white, unspotted ; rest of under surface creamy 
buff, strongly inclining to rufous on the chest, which is marked with 
triangular spots of- dark brown, inclining to streaks on the sides of 
the breast; flanks and thighs washed with rufous; under tail-coverts 
buffy white ; under wing-coverts deep rufous ; inner lining of wing 
ashy brown, inclining to rufous on the inner web ; “ upper mandible 
deep brownish red, lower mandible deep sienna yellow ; legs, toes, 
and claws pale buff orange, tinged with flesh-red” (Sir A. Smith) ; 
“iris dark brown” (Ayres). Total length, 5-3 inches; culmen, 0°5 ; 
wing, 2°85; tail, 2°9; tarsus, 0-9. 
Fig. Smith, Ill: Zool. S. Afr. pl. Ixxxix. fig. 2 (err. . for 
fig. 1). 
tho 
M 
