198 ALAUDID^J AMMOMANES 



and deserts where their plumage resembles the soil, more or less, 

 in colour. They spend most of their time on the ground, but 

 occasionally when singing, rise in the air for a short distance, and 

 fall again abruptly. 



Eight species of the genus have been described, distributed over 

 the arid plains of Africa and Asia. Three species are confined to 

 South Africa. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Under surface, including the under wing- coverts, 



white ; the breast unstreaked ..................... A. grayi, p. 198. 



b. Under wing- coverts lead-grey ; the breast streaked 



with dusky. 

 a 1 . Smaller : wing 3*60 ; chest slightly spotted 



with dusky ............................................. A. erythrochlamys, 



p. 199. 

 6 l . Larger : wing 4'10 ; breast much streaked 



with black ............................................. A. ferruginea, p. 200. 



109. Ammomanes grayi. Gray's Lark. 



Alauda grayi, Wahlberg, (Efvers, Stockholm, 1855, p. 213; Gurncy 



in Andersson's B. Damara Land, p. 193 (1872). 

 Ammomanes grayi, Sharpe, P. Z. 8. 1874, pi. Ixxvi, fig. 2 ; id. ed. 



Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 507 (1884) ; id. Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 643 (1890) ; 



Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 17 (1896). 



Description. Adult male. Above, reddish-brown ; wing-coverts 

 like the back ; quills grey tipped with white and margined externally 

 with reddish-brown ; tail-feathers dark brown, their bases whitish, 

 their inner webs tipped with white, the outer webs of the two 

 outer feathers whitish ; forehead, lores, eyebrow and sides of face 

 dull white ; in front of eye a spot of dusky ; ear-coverts light 

 rufous ; under surface of body white, the breast and sides tinged 

 with fawn-colour ; on each side of breast a patch of black ; under 

 wing-coverts dull white. 



Length, in flesh, 5-60; of skin 5-20; wing 3-25; tail 1-85; 

 tarsus 0-85 ; culmen 0-65. 



Adult female. Like the male in colour but smaller. 



Length, in flesh, 5-35 ; wing 3-05 ; tail 1-80. 



Distribution. South-West Africa : Damara Land. 



Habits. Andersson writes : " This Lark is found on the barren 

 plains in the neighbourhood of Walfisch Bay, as well as some 



