84 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



cage-birds in China as they are in this country, on account of 

 their beautiful song. They are to be recognised from the other 

 Larks of Great Britain by their tiny first primary quill (which 

 looks like a little wing-covert), combined with a long and straight 

 hind claw. The Sky- Larks are entirely birds of the Old World, 

 and are found throughout Europe and Asia to China and the 

 Indian Peninsula, but they do not extend to the Malayan 

 Peninsula or the islands. One species is confined to Abyssinia. 



THE SKY-LARK. ALAUDA ARVENSIS. 



(Plate XII. , Fig. I.) 



Alauda arvensis. Linn., S. N., i., p. 287 (1766) ; Macg., Br. B., 

 ii., p. 163 (1839); Dresser, B. Eur., iv., p. 307, pi. 231, 

 (1871); Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 614 (1874); B. O. U. 

 List Br. B., p. 71 (1883); Seeb. Br. B., ii., p. 266 (1884); 

 Saunders, Man., p. 239 (1889); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus., xiii., p. 567 (1890) ; Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. 

 xvi. (1890) ; Wyatt, Brit. B., pi. 24, fig. 2 (1894). 



Adult Male. Brown, streaked with black centres to the feathers, 

 many of which are edged with grey ; head like the back and 

 crested ; wing-coverts and quills dark brown, edged with tawny 

 buff, the secondaries tipped with white ; eyebrow isabelline ; ear- 

 coverts dark rufous, broadly streaked with black ; under surface 

 of body white, washed with tawny buff or rufous on the fore- 

 neck, chest, and sides of body ; the sides of the face and 

 throat spotted with blackish, these markings longer and more 

 distinct on the lower throat and chest, and developing into 

 long streaks on the sides of the body ; under wing-coverts 

 and axillaries dark ashy isabelline ; outer tail-feather white, 

 except a wedge-shaped mark of brown at the base of the inner 

 web ; penultimate feathers white only on the outer web ; bill 

 greyish brown, yellowish at base of lower mandible ; feet flesh- 

 coloured, with a livid tinge ; iris hazel. Total length, 7 inches ; 

 culmen, 0-55; wing, 4-35-4-55 ; tail, 2'8; tarsus, ro. 



Adult Female. Like the male in colour, but smaller. Wing 

 from 3'9-4'2 inches in length. 



NOTE. The resident bird in many parts of England is very rufous in 

 colour, much more so than the generality of Sky-Larks from other parts of 

 Europe. The birds which migrate into England during the autumn are 

 generally larger and much darker in colour. 



