4 MACRONYX CROCEUS. 



Ayres considered this species to be the commonest and most 

 regularly distributed of all the Pijjits in the Transvaal 

 and met with it as far north as the Inshlangreen River 

 during his expedition into Mashona with Jameson. From 

 the latter country Mr. Guy Marshall writes : " This hand- 

 some Pipit is generally distributed throughout the open 

 country, but is nowhere plentiful, being found only singly 

 or in pairs." 



According to Stark, they feed principally on insects and 

 their lai'vse, and occasionally a few seeds. " The nest is 

 artfully concealed in a hollow under the grass, and is a 

 cup-shaped structure built of dry grass and root fibres. 

 The eggs, laid in October or November, are from three to 

 four in number, cream-coloured, closely spotted and speckled 

 with various shades of brown and purple. They average 

 1-05 X 0-77." 



Macronyx croceus. 



Alauda crocea, Vieill. N. Diet. H. N. i. p. 365 (1816). 



Macronyx croceus, Sharpe, Ibis, 1870, p. 481 Volta B.; Keichen. and 

 Liihder, J. f. 0. 1873, p. 217 Accra; Shelley and Buckley, Ibis, 

 1872, p. 290 Accra; Fisch. J. f. 0. 1878, p. 279 Wanikalaiid ; 

 id. Zeitfcchr. 1884, p. 308 Maurui Kilimanjaro ; Sbarpe, Cat. B. M. 

 X. p. 626 (1885) Gambia, Gold Coast, Niger, Gaboon, Angola, Natal, 

 Zambesi, Dar-cs-Salaam, Mombasa; Fiscb. J. f. O. 1885, p. 137 

 Lindi to Galaland, Wapokomoland and Barawa ; Biittik, Notes 

 Leyd. Mus. 1885, p. 174; 1886, p. 253 LUieria ; Sousa, Join. Lisb. 

 1886, p. 84 Ibo h.; p. 165 Cvce; Reichen. J. f. O. 1887, p. 73 

 Buwana B. ; Matsch. t. c. p. 143 Boga-Katani ; Eeicben. t. c. 

 p. 305 LeopoldvMe ; Shelley, P. Z. S. 1888, p. 28 ^Vadelai ; 

 Eeicben. J. f. O. 1889, p. 284 Quilimane ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 589 

 Machako's ; Eeicben. .J. f. O. 1892, p. 52 Uganda ; Bocage Jorn. 

 Lisb. 1893, p. 162 Galamja ; Shelley, Ibis, 1893, p. 27; 1894, p. 23 

 Nyasaland ; Eeicben. VOg. Deutsch. O. Afr. p. 199 (1894) Usegua, 

 Bagamoyo, Lindi, Arusha, Bmvana, Ugalla, Karagxce, Kawende ; 

 Kuscbel, .7. f. O. 1895, p. 343 egg; Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 170 

 (1896); Eendall, Ibis, 1896, p. 174 Transvaal; Sbarpe, Ibis, 1897, 



