THE SHOKE-LARK. 167 



Breeding-habits and Food. — Not known to differ in any way 

 from those of European Sky-Lark. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Three. One Flannan Islands Light 

 (O. Hebrides) Feb. 24, 1906 {id supra). One Old Head of Kinsale 

 Light (Cork) Oct. 7, 1910 (R. M. Barrington, Brit. B., vi, p. 254), 

 One Tuskar Light (Wexford) Oct. 5, 1911 (C. J. Patten, ZooL, 

 1913, p. 333). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — West Siberia, Turkestan, and parts of 

 Persia. In winter farther south and as far Avest as Algeria. 



Genus EREMOPHILA Boie.* 



Eremophila Boie, Isis, 1828, p. 322 (Type by designation : " Alauda 

 alpestris L." Boie included three forms of what we now call Eremophila 

 and Temminck's doubtful " Kollyi "). 



Old birds easily recognized by tuft of elongated and pointed 

 feathers on sides of crown. Wings long and pointed, inner 

 secondaries much shorter than primaries. Tail emarginate, upper 

 tail-coverts reaching to middle of tail or further. Sexes differ a 

 little, females being duller in colour, tufts on sides of crown less 

 developed ; young differs more strikingly than those of most other 

 Larks. Breeding in north Europe, chiefly north of Polar circle, 

 north and middle Asia to Himalayas, thence westwards to Caucasus, 

 Asia Minor, Balkan Peninsida, Syria and in Africa in the northern 

 part of the Sahara ; also in North America, where, in addition to 

 E. a. alpestris thirteen subspecies are recognized in the latest A.O.U. 

 Checklist, and Andes of Colombia. 



EREMOPHILA ALPESTRISj 



67. Eremophila alpestris flava (Gm.)— THE SHORE-LARK. 



Alauda flava Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, 2, p. 800 (1789 — Typical locality : 



Siberia). 



Otocorys alpestris (Linnfeus), Yarrell, i, p. 604 ; Saunders, p. 259. 



Description. — Advlt male. Winter. — Fore-head and broad super- 

 ciliary stripe (extending behind eye) pale yellow, more or less 

 obscured by dusky-brown tips to the feathers ; broad band across 



* Eremophila has been rejected by the majority of authors, becatise 

 Eremophilus had previously been given to a genus of mammals. The two 

 words are, however, easily distinguishable by ear and eye, and there is no 

 rule demanding its rejection. The next oldest name Philerenws has been 

 rejected as it had been preoccupied by Phileremits, and the third oldest 

 name Otocoris (Otocorys) has been in use with most authors. — E.H. 



t The name alpestris originally refers to a North American form, which, 

 though very close to the one of the Old World, is separable. — E.H. 



