135 



colouring. White, or almost white eggs are not uncommon; but the usual 

 type varies in ground colour from dull white to greyish, greenish, or 

 brownish white, thickly spotted with olive or hair brown and grey. Some- 

 times these markings are evenly distributed over the whole surface, but at 

 other times they tend to form a bold zone or cap at the big end. Some 

 eggs are decidedly ferruginous in tone, while a less rare variety has a 

 greenish cast. 



As two if not three broods are often reared, the breeding season is Breeding 

 of long duration. A few pairs may breed in March, but few eggs are 6^^°°- 

 found as a rule before the latter part of April in England, and frequently 

 not till early in May. From this time onward eggs may be taken till the 

 end of July. In Germany Rey took all his eggs between the middle of 

 April and July 25. Incubation lasts 14 days, and the hen sits closely, 

 returning to the nest very cautiously on foot, while apparently busied only 

 in feeding. 



Although the breadth of these eggs is fairly constant, the length is Measure- 

 very variable, so that averages of small series show great discrepancies. ™®"*^- 

 Average of 190 eggs (100 by Rey, 58 by Bau and 32 by the writer) from 

 Germany and England, 23.21 X 16.83 mm., but abnormally large eggs 

 measure as much as 28 X 17.1, 27 X 16.8 (Newton coll.) and 24.3X18.5, 

 26.1 X 18.3 mm. (Rey coll.), while the smallest egg is 18.8 X 15.8 mm. 

 (Bau). Rey gives the average weight as 182 mg., and Bau (58 eggs) as 

 193 mg. 



Geographical Races. 



ComiKon Skylark, A. arrensis arvensis L. See above. 

 Mediterranean Skylark, A. arvensis cantarella Bp. 



Foreign Names: Greece: Tsarethra. Italy: Lodola. 



A. arvejisis cantarella Bp. Hartert, Vog. Pal. Fauna, p. 246. 



Breeding Range: Sardinia, Sicily, S. Italy, the Balkan peninsula 

 from S. Hungary to N. Greece, and S. Russia. 



Few, if any, of these birds are resident in Corsica, but in Sardinia Con- 

 it is very numerous on the plains and is also common in Sicily and S. 

 Italy, especially Apulia. In the Balkan peninsula it is found in Dalmatia, 

 and is common on the mountain plateaux of Montenegro up to about 

 5700 ft. on the Cma Planina, but is absent from the coast district. In 

 Bulgaria not only is it found in great numbers on the plains, but also on 

 the mountains, in company with the Balkan Shore Lark. In Macedonia it 

 is fairly common, but to Greece it is chiefly a winter visitor, though 

 possibly a few pairs may breed on the highest mountains, as Kriiper 

 observed one near the summit of the Veluchi range in summer. 



In breeding habits is does not appear to differ from the common form. 



tiuental 

 Europe. 



