LARKS 265 



lie could hover, then with a fine ecstasy come floating back to the 

 field like a ball of down. 



His usual twitter was like that of the wood pewee, a conversa- 

 tional aside. His call-notes were persistent and quite loud. For so 

 small a flycatcher he took a surprisingly distinct part in the noisy 

 jackdaw and scissor-tail chorus. 



GENUS ORNTTHION. 



General Characters. Bill curved, compressed, almost without bristles ; 

 tarsus longer than middle toe and claw. 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



1. Smaller and browner imberbe, p. 265. 



1'. Larger and grayer ridgwayi, p. 265. 



472. Ornithion imberbe (3d.). BEARDLESS FLYCATCHER. 



Adults, Upper parts plain brownish gray ; wings with light edgings ; 

 under parts grayish white, tinged with yellow. Young : under parts buffy. 

 Length : 4.SO, wing 2.10-2.15, tail 1.70-1.95, bill .39-.40. 



Distribution. From lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas to Central 

 America. 



472a. O. i. ridgwayi Brewst. RIDGWAY FLYCATCHER. 



Like imberbe, but larger, grayer, and with under parts almost or wholly 

 without yellow. Length : 4.30-4.80, wing 2.04-2.28, tail 1.78-2.02, bill 

 .40-.42. 



Distribution. From southern Arizona south through western Mexico to 

 Mazatlan. 



"Mr. Stephens found the curious little bird at Tucson. . . . The 

 males had a habit of perching on the tops of the tallest trees in the 

 vicinity of their haunts, and at sunrise occasionally uttered a singu- 

 lar song which Mr. Stephens transcribes as ' yoop-yoop-yoop eedeedledee,' 

 the first half given very deliberately, the remainder rapidly." (Ben- 

 dire.) 



FAMILY ALAUDIDJE: LARKS. 



KEY TO GENERA. 



1. Crown with blunt erectile crest Alauda, p. 265. 



1'. Crown with horn-like tufts of black feathers . . Otocoris, p. 266. 



GENUS ALAUDA. 



[473.] Alauda arvensis Linn. SKYLARK. 



Wing with spurious primary ; tail deeply emarginate ; tarsus equal to 

 middle toe and claw. Adults : Upper parts light brownish, streaked with 

 black ; wings dusky, feathers bordered with brown ; tail with outer feath- 

 ers white, dusky along edge of inner web ; under parts and superciliary 

 whitish ; chest pale tawny, streaked ; ear coverts brownish, sometimes 

 blackish along upper margin. Adults in winter: plumage more tawny 

 and feathers of crown and back with more or less whitish margins. Young : 

 tawny, with white margins to feathers of upper parts conspicuous, marked 

 with a subterminal spot of brown ; tertials widely bordered with buffy, 



