356 ALAUDID/E. 



feathers being edged with fulvous, especially on the hinder part of the neck 

 and centre of the back ; wing coverts coloured like the back, but a little more 

 rufous, plainly edged with fulvous, less distinct on the greater coverts ; quills 

 brown with a slight shade of ashy grey on the outer webs ; all the feathers 

 more or less narrowly edged with fulvous, but none of the feathers tipped with 

 white ; tail dark brown, with conspicuous white tips to all the feathers except 

 the two central ones ; all the rectrices edged more or less broadly with fulvous ; 

 lores and a distinct eyebrow whitish; cheeks fulvous white with a slight 

 mottling of rufous ; ear coverts entirely rufous ; throat white; rest of the under 

 surface dull white, the upper part of the breast and flanks rufous ; a black 

 pectoral gorget extending right across the lower part of the breast ; on the upper 

 part of the breast are a few indistinct mottled lines below the black gorget ; 

 under tail coverts whitish ; under wing coverts entirely greyish brown. Bill 

 horn-brown, the under mandible yellowish; feet fleshy yellow; iris dark 

 brown. 



Qbs. Some specimens are much greyer than others; others again are more 

 rufous ; some are more white on the belly and have the breast much obscured, 

 so that the pectoral gorget is scarcely discernible. This last dress seems to 

 be the winter plumage. 



" Young. Similar to the adult, but more rufous in the centre of the back ; 

 gorget more obscure, and the stripes on the upper breast more indistinct ; the 

 bill likewise seems to be more yellow." Sharpe and Dresser, Birds of Europe. 

 (The males are larger than the females.) 



Length. 7 - o6 to 8 inches; expanse 13*13 to 15*25; wing 4*2 to 4'8 ; 2nd 

 primary is the longest, the 1st is subequal to O'2 shorter, the 3rd is from 0*13 

 to 0'3 shorter, and the 4th 0*5 to 07 shorter; tail from vent from 2-12 to 2*4 ; 

 tarsus i to ri. Bill from forehead to point o'6 to 0*7 ; from gape 0-7 to 0*9 ; 

 height at front o'2 to 0*25, the closed wing falls short of end of tail by from 

 038 to 0-87. 



" Legs and feet fleshy or yellowish fleshy, more or less dusky at joints ; 

 claws dusky ; irides brown, in some light brown. Bill horny brown or blackish 

 horny on upper mandible ; lower mandible greenish horny, changing to yellow 

 at base and gape." Hume, Lahore to Farkand. 



Hab. Upper Sind, and the Desert East of Omercote (Blf.)> in the Thurr 

 and Parkur Districts, Beloochistan, Persia, Afghanistan, and Eastern Tur- 

 kestan. 



900. Alaudula raytal Biyth, y. A. s. B. xiii. p. 962 ; Jerd., B. 



Ind. ii. p. 428, No. 762 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs Ind. B. p. 481 ; Biyth, B. 

 Burm. p. 95 ; Hume, Str. F. iii. p. 159; Anders., Yunnan Exped. p. 606 ; 

 Cripps, Str. F. vii. p. 295; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 109; Oates, Str. 

 F. x. p. 234 ; id. t B. Br. Burm. i. p. 374. The INDIAN or GANGES SAND 

 LARK. 



