464 ALAUDHLE. 



any other example of this species has been obtained in this 

 country. 



Large flocks of this Short-toed Lark are observed at 

 Erzeroom in spring, and it is found also in Greece ; ac- 

 cording to M. Temminck, this bird is very abundant in 

 Sicily, is found generally along the shores of the Mediter- 

 ranean, in Spain, and in the southern and central parts of 

 France. Pollidore Roux enumerates it as a bird of Pro- 

 vence ; and M. Brehm includes it in his Birds of Germany, 

 but this appears to be the usual boundary of its range 

 northwards. It feeds on insects and seeds ; makes its nest 

 on the ground, and lays four or five eggs of dull yellow, 

 or pale coffee colour, without any spots. 



The male, Mr. Gould observes, " has the top of the 

 head and all the upper parts of a yellowish, or sandy 

 brown, with the centre of each feather darker ; the quills 

 and tail of a dusky brown, the two outer feathers of the 

 latter having their external edges yellowish white ; a 

 whitish-yellow streak over each eye ; throat and belly 

 white; the chest and flanks being tinged with yellowish 

 brown ; bill and feet light brown. The sexes are not dis- 

 tinguishable by the colouring of their plumage ; the tints 

 of the female are, however, somewhat duller than those of 

 the male. The young during the first autumn have the 

 outer edges of each feather margined with buff. 



The whole length of the Shrewsbury specimen was five 

 inches and three-quarters; the tarsal bone three-quarters 

 of an inch ; the hind toe half an inch, the claw of it only 

 one quarter of an inch ; the wing, from the carpal joint 

 to the end of the longest quill-feather three inches and a 

 half; the second quill-feather the longest in the wing, the 

 first arid third feathers a little shorter ; the tertials extend 

 backwards as far as the end of the closed wing. 



