22 CERTHILAUDA ALBOFASCIATA. 



The species is divided by Dr. Bowdler Sliarpe (Cat. B. M. 

 xiii.) into two subspecies : a pale form Alsemon alaudipes, p. 

 518, and a darker one, A. desertorum, p. 519. These are both 

 well figured by Mr. Dresser, B. Eur. iv. pi. 226, under the 

 name of Gerthilauda desertorum. 



Specimens from the Cape Verde Islands and from Somali- 

 land in the British Museum agree perfectly in their shade of 

 colouring, and therefore as the former is not always paler 

 than those from tropical North-east Africa I see no justification 

 for cutting up this species. 



It appears to me that the species, although it has a fairly 

 wide range, is essentially local. That is to say, any members 

 having selected an isolated barren spot, as is their custom, 

 never willingly leave it, and consequently breed in and in for 

 generations ; if in doing so they are establishing new sub- 

 species is a question. 



Gerthilauda albofasciata. 



Gerthilauda albofasciata, Lafr. Mag. Zool. 1836, Ois. p. 3, pi. 58, S. Afr. 

 Gerthilauda garrula, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 106, fig. 1 (1846) 



Cajje Col.; Ghapman, Trav. S. Afr. ii. p. 400 (1868) Gt. Namaqua ; 



Hartert, Kat. Vog. Mus. Senck. p. 37 (1891) S. Afr. 

 Gerthilauda rufula (nee Vieill.) Butler, Feilden and Eeid, Zool 1682, 



p. 302 Natal; Sharps, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 515 (1890) Gt. Namaqua, 



Cajje Col., Natal, Transvaal; Fleck, J. f. 0. 1894, p. 411 Kalahari; 



Kuschel, J. f. 0. 1895, p. 344 egg; Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 177 



(1896); Nehrkorn, Kat. Eiers. p. 132 (1899) egg; Stark, Faun. 



S. Afr. B. i. p. 234 (1900). 



Adult male. Upper parts rufous shaded brown, slightly paler on the 

 hind neck and passing into bright rufous on the tail-coverts and with rather 

 narrow blackish shaft-stripes on the feathers of the crown and back, the 

 latter somewhat mottled with broad buff terminal edges to the feathers, more 

 marked in younger birds ; wings brown, the feathers with pale edges, 

 broadest on the coverts and secondaries, which latter have dark submarginal 

 hnes next to the buff edges; tail short and rounded, blackish, with very 

 broad rufous edges to the centre pair of feathers and large patches of white 



I 



