ALAUDID^ 



MIRAFRA 



205 



equal to or exceeding the inner toe and claw in length ; the second 

 quill nearly as long as the third, which is longest. Tail moderate. 

 Tarsus longer than the middle toe and slender ; toes moderate, the 

 outer and inner equal. Hind claw short and somewhat curved, the 

 front claws short and curved. 



Mirafra cheniana. 



The Genus Mirafra includes twenty-four species of Larks which 

 are distributed over Africa and Southern Asia. Eleven species are 

 found, more or less commonly, in South Africa and are nearly all 

 resident. The Mirafra frequent plains and open bush-land, feed 

 on the ground on insects and small seeds, but habitually perch on 

 trees and bushes. All the species are gifted with a pleasant song 

 which is frequently uttered by the bird as it mounts for a short 

 distance in the air. The nest is built in some slight hollow in the 

 ground by the side of a tuft of grass. About half the species build 



