ALAUDIN.E. 275 



Upper parts streaked, the centres of the feathers being dusky- 

 brown, and the edges fulvous-brown, rufescent on the head ; 

 coronal feathers lengthened ; a whitish eye-streak ; ear-feathers 

 rufescent-brown ; beneath, the throat is pure white, and the rest 

 of the plumage pale fulvescent- whitish ; the breast marked with 

 large oval blackish spots ; primaries and secondaries ferruginous 

 on both webs, except towards the tip, the dusky portion gradually 

 increasing to the outermost feathers ; tail blackish, the four middle 

 feathers brown, and the outermost only whitish on its outer 

 web. 



The Red-winged Bush Lark is a common permanent resident 

 in all parts of the Presidency ; it is, however, somewhat locally 

 distributed. 



It breeds during March and April and again in August and 

 September; the nest, generally domed, is composed of grass 

 stems. The eggs, usually three in number, (occasionally four), are 

 oval in shape, and greenish, brownish or yellowish-white in color, 

 profusely spotted with brownish-red, inky-purple or olive-brown. 

 They average 076 inches in length by 0'59 in breadth. 



Mirafra cantillans, Jerd. 



757. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 420 ; Butler, Guzerat ; 

 Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 499 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central 

 India; Ibis, 1885, p. 129. 



THE SINGING BUSH LARK. 



Length, 5'5 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 2'9 ; tail, 2 ; bill at front, 0*5. 



Bill dusky-horny, fleshy beneath ; hides dark-brown ; legs fleshy- 

 brown. 



Above dusky-brown, the feathers laterally margined with rufes- 

 cent-brown ; wings and their coverts strongly margined with 

 rufescent-brown ; a pale eye-streak ; throat and below the ear- 

 coverts white, and the rest of the under parts pale rufescent, 

 darker on the breast, with a few indistinct small breast spots ; 

 outer tail-feathers nearly all white, the penultimate white on the 

 outer web only. 



The Singing Bush Lark occurs in Guzerat, near Mhow, in 

 Central India, and in the vicinity of Neemuch, Rajputana, but 

 is very locally distributed. 



It is a permanent resident, breeding from March to July ; the 

 nest, a domed one, is generally placed on the ground in 'a tuft 

 of coarse grass. 



The eggs, three or four in number, are scarcely distinguishable 

 from those of M. erythroptera. 



GENUS, Ammomanes, Cabanis. 



Bill short, thick, compressed, arched at culmeu, acute at the 

 tip, which is slightly bent over ; gonys ascending ; wings long, 

 straight, first quill minute, second not so long as the third and 



