278 ALAUDIN.E. 



patch on either side of the breast, white ; in the case of the two 

 latter often tinged brownish. 



The base of the lower mandible, chin, throat, central portion 

 of breast, abdomen, vent, and lower tail-coverts, axillaries and 

 wing-lining (except lower primary greater- coverts, which are 

 pale grey-brown like the lower surface of the quills) intensely 

 deep, at times somewhat sooty, at times almost chocolate-bro^n ; 

 the crown and upper part of occiput are deep-brown, never 

 quite so intense as the lower parts, often considerably lighter, and 

 more purely brown ; the anterior portion of the side of the neck be- 

 hind the lower half of the ear-coverts is always like the breast, some- 

 times the deep color of these parts extends behind the whole of the 

 ear-coverts, and right round the back of the neck forming a collar 

 immediately behind the white basal occipital band already noticed, 

 sometimes there is not the faintest trace of this, and some- 

 times again the collar is only represented by a smaller or larger 

 nuchal patch. 



" This is perhaps the most common form, and hence the name 

 melanauchen. 



" The interscapulary region is a pale earthy-brown, sometimes 

 with a sandy tinge ; the wings rather darker, but all the feathers 

 margined with a pale whity-brown ; inner webs of quills darker, 

 a sort of pale hair-brown ; central tail-feathers slightly paler 

 than tertiaries ; rest of tail-feathers deep-brown, but the outer 

 web of the exterior feather white or nearly so, and the inner 

 half or more of the inner web pale whity-brown; rump and 

 upper tail-coverts pale earthy or sandy-brown, noticeably paler 

 than the interscapulary region ; flanks much the same color 

 as the rump. 



" The female has the chin, throat, abdomen, vent, and lower 

 tail-coverts white, with more or less traces of a very faint tawny 

 tinge ; a broad ill-defined pale tawny band, which is sometimes 

 feebly striated darker, covers the breast; the axillaries and 

 lesser lower-coverts about the ulna are deep-brown, sometimes 

 almost as deep as the breast of the male. 



" The female also wants the white frontal band and patch on the 

 sides of the head, the white occipital band, the dark crown and dark 

 sides of the neck, and of course the dark collar or dark nuchal patch 

 so common in the males ; the whole top of the head is uni- 

 colorous or nearly so with the interscapulary region, though 

 the feathers are generally feebly darker centred. The rest of 

 the upper surface is much as in the male, but as a rule sandier, 

 and less earthy in tinge. The males are distinguished at once 

 from those of grisea, by their dark crowns. Both sexes are 

 distinguished by their somewhat larger size." 



Bill short, sub 



LCIX sumevvuctu ictigur size. 



GENUS, Calandrella, Kaup. 



b-conic, moderately compressed ; wing long, 

 imary minute, the next three primaries about 



-Bill snort, sub-conic, moderately compressed ; wing 

 straight ; first primary minute, the next three primaries 



