270 BIRDS OF TDNISIA 



time. One of the most curious and interesting cases of melanism in this 

 species, or indeed in any species, occurs in the Eoman Campagna, where 

 what might almost be looked upon as a distinct race is known. This form 

 is exceedingly dark in colour, even on the underparts, and its dark colora- 

 tion appears to be perfectly constant. In its measurements it does not 

 seem to differ from normal A. arvensis. These dark- coloured birds, of 

 which I have several examples in my collection, are found from time to time 

 in the neighbourhood of Eome, but apparently nowhere else in Italy. The 

 case seems to be analogous to that of the so-called Sabine's Snipe. 



There appear to be three forms of the Sky-Lark occurring in 

 Tunisia, which are fairly distinguishable one from the other, viz., 

 the ordinary European bird, A. arvensis, L., which is found as a 

 migrant in winter ; another form, to be described in the next article, 

 which breeds in the Regency and is probably resident there through- 

 out the entire year ; and lastly, a mealy-grey form, presumably 

 referable to A. a. cantarella (Bp.), which occurs in the south of the 

 Regency, but may perhaps also be found elsewhere in Tunisia. 



Our common Sky-Lark is plentiful throughout the winter months 

 in all the more open and fertile districts of North Tunisia, arriving 

 in the autumn and leaving again in the spring. It is generally to 

 be found in large flocks, frequenting cornfields and cultivated land, 

 where food is abundant. On the high plateaux of Central Tunisia 

 the species may also be met with, and even in the south of the 

 Regency, in districts where patches of corn-land occur interspersed 

 among the more desert surroundings. 



In Algeria and Marocco the Sky-Lark seems to be abundant in 

 winter. It no doubt also occurs as a winter migrant in Tripoli, 

 though I have no examples of it from that country. 



Near the town of Tunis large numbers of Sky-Larks are netted 

 and brought to the market. The netting of Larks and other small 

 birds in the Regency, however, is fortunately not carried out on the 

 large scale that it is in some parts of Italy, where wholesale slaughter 

 with these "engines of destruction" is so common. According to 

 good authority it seems the proportion of birds taken by these means 

 in Italy is small in comparison with the vast numbers which pass 

 through the country. Taking the present species, Doderlein con- 

 siders by no means exaggerated Rafinesque's computation that on 

 some days in the height of the autumnal migration as many as one 



