THE SHORE-LARK. 169 



supra-orbital, occipital, (? spinal), humeral, ulnar, femoral and 

 crural (description from half- moulted skin). 



Juvenile. Whole upper-parts black-brown fringed buff and 

 each feather with a buffish- or yellowish-white spot at tip ; upper 

 tail-coverts pinkish at base ; short line behind eye yellowish-white ; 

 ear-coverts and lines down sides of throat black -brown, spotted 

 yellowish-white ; chin and throat pale yellow to yellowish- white, 

 feathers faintly tipped dusky-black ; breast and flanks dusky 

 black -brown, feathers fringed and tipped yellowish- or buffish- 

 white ; rest of under-parts white or yellowish-white ; tail- and 

 wing-feathers much as adult but more widely and evenly fringed 

 and tipped buffish-white ; all wing-coverts black-brown fringed 

 buff and broadly tipped buffish-white. 



First winter. Like adults. The juvenile plumage is completely 

 (including wings and tail) moulted in August. 



Measurements and structure. ^ wing 108-112 mm., tail 66-75, 

 tarsus 21-23, bill from skull 12-14 (12 measured). $ wing 101-105. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and less than half primary-coverts, 3rd 

 longest, 2nd often as long (very rarely longer), sometimes 1-2 mm. 

 shorter, 4th 1-4 shorter, 5th 8-13 shorter, 6th 18-26 shorter ; 3rd 

 to 5th emarginated outer webs. Secondaries between 10th and 

 7th primaries, tips notched. In juvenile 1st primary is broader, 

 not so pointed and longer, being about two-thirds as long as primary- 

 coverts. Tail slightly forked. Bill strong. Small, fine rictal 

 and nasal bristles and short feathers covering nostrils. Hind 

 claw strong, straight, spike-shaped and about one-third longer 

 than hind toe. 



Soft parts. Bill greyish horn with black tip and yellowish at 

 base of under mandible ; legs and feet black ; iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. E. a. alpestris (North America) 

 is very similar but has larger bill and browner wing-coverts, 

 E. a. atlas (Atlas Mts.) has sandy-brown back and wing-coverts, 

 E. a. bilopha (Sahara) has more uniform reddish-sandy upper-parts 

 and white fore-head and chin, E. a. penicillata (Caucasus, Asia 

 Minor) has greyer upper-parts and black bands on sides of throat 

 are broad and join black of breast, E. a. balcanica (Balkans, Turkey, 

 Greece) very similar to last but with purer grey upper-parts and 

 deeper yellow fore-head and chin, E. a. bicornis (Lebanon) like 

 E. a. penicillata but with white fore-head and chin ; nine other 

 forms are found in Asia and fourteen in North America. Black 

 " horns," yellow chin, black breast-band and pinkish hind-neck 

 easily distinguish it from other British Larks. 



FIELD-CHARACTERS. In this country usually in stubble-fields, 

 or among bents near sea, also often amongst seaweed thrown up 

 by tide. Pinkish tinge of upper-parts, yellowish chin and black 

 gorget and whitish, almost unstreaked, under-parts make it clearly 



