254 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



GALERIDA CRISTATA MACRORHYNCHA (Tristram). 

 TRISTRAM'S LARK. 



Galerida macrorhyncha, Tristram, Ibis, 1859, pp. 57 and 426 ; Kocnig, 



J.f. 0. 1888, p. 217. 

 Galerita macrorhyncha, Koenig, J. f. 0. 1893, p. 35. 

 Alauda macrorhyncha, Whitaker, Ibis, 1894, p. 93. 

 Galerida cristata macrorhyncha, Hartert, Nov. Zool. vol. iv. p. 147 



(1897). 

 Galerita cristata macrorhyncha, Erlanger, J.f. 0. 1899, p. 346. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Kasrin, Central Tunisia. 



Upper parts fulvous-brown, the centre of the feathers darker and the 

 margin paler ; conspicuous and rather heavy crest blackish, margined with 

 buff; superciliary stripe, extending from the bill to behind the eye, buff-vphite ; 

 quills dark brown ; upper tail-coverts, which are considerably elongated, 

 and the middle pair of rectrices rufescent-brown, the remainder of the tail- 

 feathers blackish, with the exception of the outermost pair, which are almost 

 entirely rufescent, and the pair adjoining them, which have their outer webs 

 rufescent ; underparts whitish ; a few small streaks extending downwards 

 from the base of the bill blackish ; breast rather thickly marked with 

 blackish spots and streaks; sides and flanks dusky brown; under wing 

 coverts and axillaries rufescent. 



Iris dark hazel ; bill greyish-brown ; feet yellowish-flesh-colour. 



Total length 7-50 inches, wing 4-45, culmen '80, tarsus -90. 



Adult female similar to the male, but rather smaller. 



G. c. macrorhyncha was first described by Canon Tristram as a new 

 species under the name of Galerita macrorhyncha (Ibis, 1859, p. 58). 

 Apparently Loche had previously met with this Lark, and included 

 it in his Catalogue (Cat. Mam. et Ois. Alg. p. 85, 1858) under the name 

 of Galerida randonii, but as he gave no description his name cannot 

 be used. Subsequently Loche described this Lark, and also gave a 

 plate of it (Eev. et Mag. Zool. 1860, p. 150, pi. xi. fig. 2). 



I have examined the type of G. randonii (named after Marshal 

 Eandon, a former Governor-General of Algeria) which is in the 

 Museum of the Jardin des Plantes at Paris, and find that it differs 

 in no appreciable way from Canon Tristram's type oiG. macrorhyncha. 

 The latter, a female, was obtained at El-Aghouat on November 12th, 

 1856, and is now in the Liverpool Museum. 



G. c. macrorhyncha distinctly belongs to the G. cristata group, 

 possessing the various characteristic features of that group. Like 

 other Crested Larks, which are sedentary birds, and confine their 



I 



