LAKES. 331 



125. A. ALPESTRIS, L. Berg Larka. The Shore Lark. 



D. P. 



Length 7-^ in. ; tail 1 in. beyond the closed wings; 

 third wing feather longest j colour reddish brown above,, 

 under parts white ; forehead, front of neck, and a streak 

 over and at the back of the eye sulphur yellow (which 

 colour I have observed fades very much as soon as the 

 bird is killed) ; a streak under the eye, and a band on 

 the front of the throat black ; on the sides of the back 

 of the head are some pointed feathers, which can be up- 

 raised like a sharp horn on each side ; tail black, edged 

 with white ; middle feathers red-brown ; eye red-brown ; 

 legs black. 



In the female and in the winter dress the colours are less 

 pure and vivid. 



Till lately this lark was considered so rare in Scandinavia 

 that the capture of single specimens was deemed worth re- 

 cording. However, as I killed more than fifty specimens in 

 the winter of 1859 off the coast of Scania, in the south of 

 Sweden, and again about sixty in the spring of 1862, at 

 Quickiock, Lapland, I fancy they are not so very rare in this 

 country. 



In the winter they frequent the sandy banks close to 

 the sea, and feed much on the heaps of dry sea-weed. They 

 seemed to keep in small flocks ; their flight sharp and low, 

 and as they sweep over the ground they utter a sharp single 

 call-note. They were by no means shy. They appeared 

 at Quickiock about the middle of April, just as the snow was 

 beginning to disappear, and remained in the low grounds 

 round the village for about a fortnight, where their habits 

 were precisely the same as on the southern coast. They 

 then left, and went on to the fells to breed ; and, strange 

 to say, although we searched everywhere, saw the birds 

 always on the fells during the whole summer, and killed 

 young birds in the end of July, we could never succeed in 

 taking a nest. 



I observed that the colours in spring were very far 

 brighter than in summer. Little difference in plumage 



