226 ALAUDIDJE. 



says : ** Common on the large sandy churs of all the big rivers ; 

 how the bird exists on the bare white sand during the heat of the 

 day is a wonder. I found a nest on a chur on the 9th April. 

 The rain-water trickling over a low bank had formed a small 

 hollow, which was overhung by a ledge of earth ; in this hollow 

 was a nest composed of fine grasses with a few feathers stuck 

 about it ; the nest was a deep cup and measured externally three 

 inches diameter and two inches deep ; inside two inches broad, 

 and one inch deep ; there were two fresh eggs. I came back next 

 day and found another egg had been laid. I brought the nest, &c. 

 away for fear of the eggs being eaten by any bird, so am unable to 

 say if they lay more than that number of eggs." 



The eggs closely resemble those of Pyrrhulauda grisea. It may 

 be a mere accident, but the specimens I have are less glossy than 

 any egg that I possess of that species, and their markings are 

 finer and more speckly. They are rather elongated, nearly 

 perfect, ovals, only slightly compressed towards one end. The 

 ground-colour is greyish or yellowish white, and they are exces- 

 sively minutely speckled all over with yellowish brown, a few very 

 faint inky-purple specks being in one egg intermingled. 



The eggs vary from 0-71 to O79 in length, and from O52 to 

 0-58 in breadth ; but I have too few unfortunately to enable me 

 to strike any useful average. 



Alaudula adamsi (Hume). The Indus Sand-Lark. 

 Alaudula adamsi (Hume), Hume, Rough Draft N. 8f E. no. 762 ter. 



The Indus Sand-Lark represents the preceding species on the 

 great river of Sindh and all its affluents in the plains of the 

 Punjab. 



It breeds in March, April, and May, but I have never found a 

 nest. 



Captain Cock, as far as I know, was the first person who took 

 the eggs of this species. 



He says : " Tour little Sand-Lark breeds in the sandy islands 

 on the Jheelum during April and May. The nest is usually 

 placed on the north side of, and at the roots of, a small tamarisk 

 bush ; it is a little depression in the soil, lined with fine grass loosely 

 put in, and contains two to three eggs, usually the former number." 



Colonel E. A. Butler writes: "At Kurrachee, 24th April, 

 1877, 1 found a nest containing two fresh eggs. The eggs, which 

 are very large for the size of the bird, are whitish, freely speckled, 

 spotted, and blotched with olivaceous brown with occasional inky- 

 slate markings also. The nest, which is very similar to, but rather 

 smaller than, the nest of Galerita cristata, consists of a hollow in 

 the ground, lined substantially with dry grass, lumps of raw 

 cotton, and a few horsehairs, small pieces of rag, thread, and a few 

 old feathers incorporated, and often slightly banked round with 

 thin pieces of hard mcrustated earth. It is usually situated either 



