278 ALAUDINE. 
patch on either side of the breast, white ; in the case of the two 
latter often tinged brownish. 
’ The base of the lower mandible, chin, throat, central portion 
of breast, abdomen, vent, and lower tail-coverts, axillaries and 
Wing-lining (except lower primary greater-coverts, which are 
pale grey-brown like the lower surface of the quills) intensely 
deep, at times somewhat sooty, at times almost chocolate-brown ; 
the crown and upper part of occiput are deep-brown, never 
quite so intense as the lower parts, often considerably lighter, and 
more purely brown ; the anterior portion of the side of the neck be- 
hind the lower half of the ear-coverts is always like the breast, some- 
times the deep color of these parts extends behind the whole of the 
ear-coverts, and right round the back of the neck forming a collar 
immediately behind the white basal occipital band already noticed, 
sometimes there is not the faintest trace of this, and some- 
times again the collar is only represented by a smaller or larger 
nuchal patch. 
“This is perhaps the most common form, and hence the name 
melanauchen. 
“The interscapulary region is a pale earthy-brown, sometimes 
with a sandy tinge; the wings rather darker, but all the feathers 
margined with a pale whity-brown; inner webs of quills darker, 
a sort of pale hair-brown ; central tail-feathers slightly paler 
than tertiaries; rest of tail-feathers deep-brown, but the outer 
web of the exterior feather white or nearly so, and the inner 
half or more of the inner web pale whity-brown ; rump and 
upper tail-coverts pale earthy or sandy-brown, noticeably paler 
than the interscapulary region; flanks much the same color 
as the rump. 
“The female has the chin, throat, abdomen, vent, and lower 
tail-coverts white, with more or less traces of a very faint tawny 
tinge ; a broad ill-defined pale tawny band, whichis sometimes 
feebly striated darker, covers the breast; the axillaries and 
lesser lower-coverts about the ulna are deep-brown, sometimes 
almost as deep as the breast of the male. 
“The female also wants the white frontal band and patch on the 
sides of the head, the white occipital band, the dark crown and dark 
sides of the neck, and of course the dark collar or dark nuchal patch 
so common in the males; the whole top of the head is uni- 
colorous or nearly so with the interscapulary region, though 
the feathers are generally feebly darker centred. The rest of 
the upper surface is much as in the male, but as a rule sandier, 
and less earthy in tinge. The males are distinguished at once 
from those of grisea by their dark crowns. Both sexes are 
distinguished by their somewhat larger size.” 
Genus, Calandrella, Kaup. 
Bill short, sub-conic, moderately compressed; wing long, 
straight ; first primary minute, the next three primaries about 
