vii ALAUDIDAE 497 



to our shores; while Galerita cristala, the Crested Lark, Calandrella 

 brachydactyla, the Short-toed Lark, and Melanocorypha sibirica, 

 the White-winged Lark, occur occasionally. The Sky-Lark has been 

 introduced into Long Island, N.Y., Australia, and New Zealand. 



The bill is long and curved in Certhilauda and Alaemon, shorter 

 and slender in Alauda, similar but more robust in Galerita, abbrevi- 

 ated and conical in Calandrella, Pyrrhulauda, and Melanocorypha,. 

 and extraordinarily stout in Rhamphocorys, with a gap between the 

 maxilla and mandible. The metatarsus is elongated, and may be 

 more slender as in Certliilauda, or stouter as in Galerita and Melano- 

 corypha ; the hind-claw is generally much lengthened and straight, 

 but may be short and curved, as in Calandrella, Pyrrhulauda,, 



Fia. 107. Sky- Lark. Alauda arvensis. x \. 



and Alaemon. The wing varies much in length, many forms 

 having the outer primary almost aborted, though in Mirafra and 

 elsewhere it is of fair size ; the inner secondaries are nearly as long 

 as the primaries in Calandrella. The tail is moderate or short, 

 and may be rounded, nearly square, or emarginate. The normal 

 coloration is light-brown with darker longitudinal streaks, the 

 under parts being whitish and frequently spotted anteriorly ; desert 

 forms, however, often have uniform pale buff or rufous plumage 

 for example, Galerita isabellina and Ammomanes. Melanocorypha 

 yeltoniensis is nearly black in the male ; others of the same genus 

 have a black gorget ; the black-cheeked Rhamphocorys, Alaemon 

 alaudipes and Melanocorypha sibirica exhibit white wing-patches ; 

 while Otocorys has a projecting black tuft on each side of the 

 occiput, black cheeks, lores, and bands on the crown and breast, the 

 VOL. ix 2 K 



