GALEBITA. 237 



all fresh ; one contained two hard-set eggs and two, two young 

 ones. In my opinion three is the maximum number. 



It is probable that these birds have a second brood in February 

 or March, just as their southern ally has, but I have had no 

 evidence of this. 



The eggs of this species appear to me to be more variable than 

 those of any other Lark, and they are also more glossy than those of 

 the majority of the species of this family. The shape 1 take to be 

 typically a rather short broad oval, a good deal pointed at times 

 towards the smaller end. Eggs taken even out C^ lie same nest 

 vary greatly in size. Some eggs have a clear greenish-white 

 ground, and are richly and thickly spotted and speckled, but most 

 densely at the large end, with rich reddish and orange-brown, 

 intermingled with tiny faint inky-purple clouds. In this type of 

 egg the markings are clear and well defined, reminding one of 

 some types of Thamnobia cambaiensis. The majority of the eggs, 

 however, have a creamy-yellow ground, and are thickly and very 

 finely freckled and crowded all over with faint inky-purple and 

 yellowish brown, the markings everywhere ill-defined and all but 

 confluent. Other eggs have a greyish or yellowish-white ground, 

 and are streaked and spotted, or clouded and speckled, with 

 greyish-, earthy-, or olive-brown, as the case may be. 



The eggs vary from O73 to 0-86 in length, and from 0-55 to 

 0-65 in breadth ; but the average of thirty-nine eggs is 0*77 

 by 0-6. 



Galerita malafoarica (Scop.). The Malabar Crested Lark. 



Spizalauda malabarica (Scop.\ Hume, Rough Draft N. $ .. m. 765; 

 Cat. no. 765 his. 



This present species ascends the Nilghiris to heights of 4000 and 

 5000 feet at any rate, and there on the 8th April Miss Cockburn 

 found a nest which she sent me, containing three eggs. The nest 

 was a tolerably compact but shallow saucer, composed of grass and 

 fibres and lined with fine roots, placed on the ground under some 

 overhanging tufts of grass. She has also sent me the following 

 interesting note on the habits and nidification of this species. 

 She says : 



" This bird differs from the Sky-Lark (Alauda gulgula} in never 

 singing while on the wing. He sits on a stone or the stump of a 

 dead tree while performing his part in the general concert, which 

 in the breeding-season is heard on every side. "With drooping 

 wings and tail erect he continues turning round and strutting 

 about until his song comes to a close, which it seldom does before 

 he has imitated the peculiar song or call of every bird and beast 

 that may come within reach of his most wonderful ear. 



" His power of mimicry is quite astonishing. A pair of these 

 birds once built their nest in a strawberry-bed in our garden. 

 The young ones were taken when fully fledged and I reared them. 

 AVhen I could distinguish the cock by his attempts to sing 1 gave 



