34 MIRAFRA NIVOSA. 



Nehrkorn, Kat. Eiers. p. 132 (1899) egg ; Stark, Faun. S. Afr. B. i. 

 p. 230 (1900). 



Alauda albescens, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 259 Cape Col. 



Alauda guttata, Lafr. I. c. Cape Col. 



Alauda codea. Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 87, fig. 1 (1843) Gape Col. 



Alauda lagepa. Smith, t. c. pi. 87, fig. 2 (1843) Cape Col. 



Adult, summer phimage. Above bright cinnamon with black shaft-stripes 

 on the crown, mantle and upper tail-coverts. Wings dark brown with the 

 pale edges to the feathers buff, narrow on the primary-coverts and primaries, 

 increasing in breadth and rufous colouring towards the inner feathers. Tail 

 dark brown with a narrow buff margin and broad cinnamon buff outer edges 

 to the centre pair of feathers. Eyebrow and sides of head white with the 

 ear-coverts uniform bright cinnamon ; under parts white slightly shaded with 

 rufous buff and strongly streaked with dark brown on the crop, sides of body 

 and under tail-coverts ; thighs brown ; under surface of wings entirely 

 brown with a slight ashy shade on the coverts. " Iris light reddish brown, 

 bill light reddish brown, fading into pale orange buff at base of lower 

 mandible; tarsi and feet pale brown" (Smith). Total length 6-9, culmen 

 0-65, wing 3-8, tail 80, tarsus 1-1. S. Africa {Layard). 



Adult, luinter plumage. Very similar in pattern to the summer plumage 

 but differs entirely in the colour, there being no trace of rufous on the 

 plumage, that colour being replaced by a soft ashy brown, partially fading 

 into white on the broader edges of the wing-feathers and the pale external 

 margin of the tail, it also differs in the feathers of the rump being mottled 

 with dark centres, and the general colouring of the throat and body white. 

 Cape Town (Butler). 



Type of Alauda lagepa (Smith). Apparently just passed out of the winter 

 dress and nearly attained the full summer plumage. 



Immature. Differs from adults in the general tone of the colouring being 

 earthy brown ; all the feathers of the crown and some on the mantle have 

 white marginal tips ; crop mostly brown owing to the profusion of large 

 rounded central spots to the feathers. 



The Cape White-breasted Sabota-Lark is apparently con- 

 fined to western South Africa, south of the Orange river. 



It is represented in the British Museum by specimens from 

 Little Namaqualand, Cape Town, Swellendam, Berg river and 

 the Karroo. Andersson " observed this species pretty fre- 

 quently in Little Namaqualand, but not to the north of the 

 Orange rivei'." Sir Andrew Smith found them sparingly dis- 

 tributed in Cape Colony, frequenting localities thinly furnished 

 with low brushwood, and they rarely failed when disturbed to 



