THE CRESTED LARK. 



15: 



primary distinctly visible, about as long as primary- coverts, next 

 four not very different in length. Hind claw long, almost straight. 

 Sexes alike. Two often confounded species in Europe and north- 

 west Africa, a third m India. From western Europe to Corea,. 

 south to Abyssinia and SomaUiand, and to south India, 



GALERIDA CRISTATA* 



63. Galerida cristata cristata (L.)— THE CRESTED LARK. 



Alauda cristata Linnpeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 166 (1758 — " Habitat 

 in Europas viis." Vienna fixed as restricted typical locality by Hartert^ 

 Vog. pal. Fauna, i, p. 228). 

 Alauda cristata Linnseus, Yarrell, i, p. 632 ; Saunders, p. 253. 



Description. — A(hiU male and 

 female. Winter. — Whole upper- 

 parts greyish- to buffish-brown, 

 streaked on head and mantle 

 black -brown, back and rump 

 being more uniform ; upper 

 tail-coverts with dark centres, 

 greyish tips and rufous bases ; 

 feathers of centre of crown 

 brownish-black with very nar- 

 row greyish-buff edgings, in 



Crested Lark (Galerida c. cristata). 



shape very narrow and elongated, projecting 10-20 nxK. 

 beyond other feathers and forming very distinct crest (on average 

 rather shorter in $ than in (^) ; narrow line from nostrils over 

 and behind eye bufl&sh-white ; ear-coverts buffish-brown ; lores^ 

 under eyes, cheeks and sides of throat buffish-white, streaked 

 black -brown ; upper-breast same but buffer and streaks broader ; 

 chin and centre of throat unstreaked ; centre of lower- breast, 

 belJy, and under tail-coverts very pale buff ; longer under tail- 

 coverts and sides of beUy with a few fine dark streaks ; flanks 

 brownish-buff ; axillaries and under wing-coverts pinkish-buff ; 

 tail, central pair dark brown with paler fringes and tinged rufous 

 at base, rest brown-black tipped greyish-brown, outer pair with 

 outer web and wedge-shaped mark on inner web rufous-buff, 

 j)enultimate pair with narrow edging of rufous-buff on outer web ; 

 wing-feathers dark brown narrowly edged buff on outer webs and 

 broadly edged rufous-buff on inner webs, innermost secondaries 



* The name Galerida has been rejected, and new names have been created 

 by Madarasz and Dresser, because they supposed that Galerida was a naisprint 

 for Galerita, which was preoccupied. There is, however, nothing in the original 

 pubHcation to prove this. In the same volume Brehm adopted Galerida, 

 and we may suppose that Boie and Brehm purposely spelt the name with d 

 in order to distinguish it from the well-known name Galerita, referring to a 

 common beetle, undoubtedly known to both authors. — E.H. 



