282 BRITISH BIRDS. 



few of them westwards in autumn. The following table will enable any 

 one to discriminate between the species of this group : 



A. maxima. 



Prevailing colour of outermost I A. sibirica. > Prevailing colour of secondaries 

 tail-feather white . \ whitp 



A. mongohca. J 



A , j Lar^e black patches on the sides 



* A. calandra. P., i r 



ol the neck. 



A. bimaculata. j 

 A. tatarica. 



The White-winged Lark has only once been detected in Heligoland, but 

 the Black Lark has occurred several times. The Calandra Lark (Alauda 

 calandra} is also in Gatke's collection, and has twice been recorded as a 

 British bird ; but in both cases the examples were discovered in the shop 

 of a local bird- stuffer. There can be little doubt that this bird has visited 

 England and may visit it again; but being a South- European bird it must 

 be looked for in spring. It cannot, however, be included in the British 

 list until the capture of an example has been recorded, with particulars of 

 date and locality authenticated by some competent witness. The first 

 example recorded (Gatcombe, ' Zoologist/ 1863, p. 8768) was said by the 

 Plymouth bird-stuffer in whose shop it was found, mounted and cased, to 

 have been killed near Devonport ; and the second (Gurney, ' Zoologist/ 

 1869, p. 1599) was said by an Exeter bird-stuffer to be a Lapland Bunting 

 shot in the neighbourhood. 



The Calandra Lark is a common resident in the basin of the Mediter- 

 ranean wherever there are sandy plains ; but it is not known to breed north 

 of Venice. It is very rare in Egypt. In South-east Europe its range 

 extends slightly more to the north, but the bird is very local. East of the 

 Caucasus it breeds throughout Persia and Turkestan as far as Lake Saisan. 



In its habits the Calandra Lark does not differ very much from the 

 Sky-Lark. It loves to frequent broad fertile sandy plains and large fields, 

 especially of growing grain. Its song usually commences in March, and 

 is similar to that of the Sky-Lark, but is not so pleasing nor so pro- 

 longed. It is usually uttered when the bird is in the air. It is a very 

 industrious singer, and is incessantly soaring into the air, often rising for 

 a few yards, then dropping again, without uttering any sound save its 

 call-note, which somewhat resembles that of the Sky-Lark. In the 

 pairing-season the males soar and chase each other like Sky-Larks. It is 

 a somewhat early breeder, usually commencing its nest in April in Spain 

 and Greece, but not until June in the Dobrudscha. The nest is always 

 built upon the ground amongst herbage, and is made of dry grass, rootlets, 

 &c., and lined with finer materials. The eggs are four or five in number, 

 and somewhat resemble those of the Sky-Lark, but are indistinguishable 

 from those of the White- winged Lark figured on Plate 15, except that, on 



