ALAUDIDAI—LARKS. III 
reaching far back; primaries and secondaries brown, former 
edged externally with white and latter with white tips; ozfer- 
most rectrices chiefly white, next pair narrowly edged and tipped 
with white, rest edged and tipped with pale brown ; beneath 
white, the flanks washed with dirty grey and isabelline ; szdes 
Of chest with very distinct patches of black ; breast spotted with 
brown ; 4z// (very stout) dull brown, yellowish at base beneath ; 
legs and feet brown ; irides blackish. Length 6°6 to 7 inches ; 
culmen 0°65; wing 4°8 to 5; tail 2°7 ; tarsus I°1. 
Adult Female: Similar, but shows hardly so much black 
on sides of chest. 
Immature Birds: Similar, but upper plumage more rufous 
and mixed with buff; black neck patches imperfectly developed. 
Distribution : Resident in most countries bordering the 
Mediterranean. Of rare occurrence in Central Europe. 
Habitat : Open country, meadows, vineyards, &c. 
Note.—This species, like most of the Alaudidze, seems to be liable to much 
variation in tint. We have old birds in winter plumage which are 
very grey, whilst another bird shot at the same season is remarkably 
rufous above. 
WHITE-WINGED LARK. 
Melanocorypha sibirica (Gme/). 
Adult Male: Feathers of back brownish-grey, with darker 
centres, tinged here and there with rufous ; crow, ear-coverts 
and upper tail-coverts distinctly rufous ; lores and region round 
the eye white; primaries dark brown, edged with dull white 
externally, some of inner ones broadly tipped and internally 
margined with white ; secondaries white, with dark brown bases ; 
prevailing colour of coverts rufous; outermost tail-feathers 
white, next pair white on the outer web, central rectrices dark 
brown, broadly bordered with rufous ; under parts white, with 
dusky spots on sides of throat ; chest spotted with rufous and 
flanks streaked with brown and rufous ; bill horn-brown, paler 
beneath ; legs, feet and irides brown. Length 7 to 7:5 inches ; 
culmen 0°45 ; wings 4°75 ; tail 2°8; tarsus 095. 
Adult Female: Somewhat duller than the male, other- 
wise similar. 
