334 



870. Mirafra assamica. The Bengal Bush-Lark. 



Mirafra assamica, McCleU. P. Z. 8. 1839, p. 162 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. 



ii, p. 476 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 416 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 473 ; Ball, S. 



F. vii, p. 223 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 294 ; Hume, Cat. no. 754 ; 



Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 6C6 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 375 ; 



Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 609 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 287 ; Oates in 



Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 229. 

 Mirafra assamensis, McCleU., Blyth, Cat. p. 134. 

 Mirafra immaculate, Hume, S. F. i, p. 12 (1873). 



Affffta, Hind. ; Bhiriri at Bhagalpur. 



Coloration. The whole tipper plumage dark ashy browo with 

 blackish streaks on all parts except the rump ; wing-coverts blackish 

 margined with pale ashy ; primary-coverts externally rufous ; quills 

 dark brown, most of them externally margined with chestnut and 

 all of them with a large portion of the inner web chestnut ; tail 

 brown margined with ashy rufous, the penultimate and outer feathers 

 with the greater part of the outer web pale rufous ; lores and an 

 indistinct supercilium fulvous ; sides of the head fulvous barred 

 with brown; chin and throat pale fulvous white; remainder of 

 lower plumage darker fulvous, the breast coarsely streaked with 

 triangular marks of brown ; under wing-coverts and axillaries 

 ferruginous. 



Bill dusky above, fleshy white below ; legs fleshy white ; iris 

 yellowish brown (Hume}. 



Length rather more than 6 ; tail 2 ; wing 3*3 ; tarsus 1 ; bill 

 from gape *75. 



Distribution. The north-eastern part of the Indian Peninsula, 

 north and east of a line drawn roughly from Garhwal to Cuttack, 

 extending through Bengal into Assam and thence south on the 

 one hand to the neighbourhood of Bhamo and on the other to 

 Arrakan. 



Habits, fyc. Breeds from March to July, laying four or five eggs, 

 which are greyish white speckled with brown of different shades, 

 and measure about -82 by -61. 



871. Mirafra erythroptera. The Red- winged Hush-Lark, 



Mirafra erythroptera, Jerd. Madr. Journ. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 136 

 (1844) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 133 ; Jerd. III. 2nd. Orn. pi. 38 ; Horsf. 

 $ M. Cat. ii, p. 474 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 418 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 475; 

 Ball, S. F. vii, p. 223 ; Hume, Cat. no. 756 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. 

 p. 274 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 612 j Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 

 2nded.'ii, p. 231. 

 Jungli aaffia, Hind. ; Chinna eeli-jitta, Tel. 



Coloration. The whole upper plumage fulvous-brown streaked with 

 dark brown or black ; middle pair of tail-feathers pale brown mar- 

 gined with fulvous ; the others blackish, the outermost feather with 



