358 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



162. Pallas' Short-toed Lark [PALLAS' KURZZEHIGE LERCHE]. 

 ALAUDA PISPOLETTA, Pallas. 1 



Alauda pispoletta. Pallas' Zoogr. Ross. -A siat., 526. 



Pallas' Short-toed Lark. Dresser, iv. 355. 



On the 26th of May 1879, Aeuckens came to my house remark- 

 ing, in a rather casual manner, that he had shot the small Short- 

 toed Lark which he had already seen on the day previously. In 

 handling the bird, however, I much surprised him with a friendly 

 box on the ear, as, pointing to the smaller posterior flight-feathers 

 and the spotted upper breast, I added: 'What have I been telling you 

 these many years ? What was it you were specially to take notice 

 of ? ' As, however, he is as passionately fond of a rare or new bird 

 as I am myself, his joy at this lucky capture of a species new to 

 our island was no less lively than my own. 



In the coloration of its plumage, this species bears the 

 strongest resemblance to the small grey Skylarks (A. arvensis), 

 which form the rearguard of the spring migration. Neither the 

 light edges of the feathers of the head, back, and wings, nor the 

 upper breast and sides of the breast, have the least touch of ferru- 

 ginous all are dull buffy grey (rostgelblich grau), which colour on 

 the eye-streaks, neck, and the under side of the bird, passes into a 

 dull yellowish white. Each feather on the upper breast and the 

 sides of the breast has a broad blackish-brown central stripe, which 

 on the flanks is converted into a fine stripe on the shafts of the 

 feathers. The tail-feathers are brownish black the outermost 

 pair is pure white, not isabelline as in A. brachydactyla, and the 

 inner webs towards the root bear cuneiform spots of a dingy dark 

 colour. In the second pair of feathers, the outer webs only are 

 white. The bill in my fresh example was very light bluish grey, 

 towards the base, especially on the lower mandible, light sulphur 

 yellow ; the feet were light flesh-coloured. 



The measurements of the example killed here a female are as 

 follows : Total length, 5'62 ins. (143 mm.) ; length of wings, 3'46 

 ins. (88 mm.) ; length of tail, 2'20 ins. (56 mm.) ; length of tail 

 uncovered by the wings, -82 in. (21 mm.). The bill measures "32 in. 

 (8 mm.), and the tarsus -86 in. (22 mm.). A male bird of this 

 species, lent me by Dresser for comparison, is -94 in. (24 mm.) 

 longer than the example described above. 



This small Lark, which hitherto seems not to have been 

 observed west of its breeding range, occurs as a resident breeding 



1 Calandrella pispoletta (Pall. ). 



