ALAUDIN^. ANTHUS. 165 



tinct anterior scutella ; toes slender, hind toe large, la- 

 teral about equal ; anterior claws rather long, slender, 

 compressed, slightly arched, acute, that of the hind toe 

 extremely long and nearly straight. Plumage ordinary, 

 the feathers ovato-oblong ; frontal feathers encroaching 

 on the nasal membrane ; basirostral bristles small ; wings 

 long, broad, with eighteen quills ; the first minute, the 

 next three longest, one of the inner secondaries very long. 

 Tail rather long, straight, deeply emarginate, of twelve 

 rather narrow feathers. 



The Larks are intimately allied to the Wagtails on the 

 one hand, and to the Thrushes on the other, while in 

 some respects they are approximated to the Buntings and 

 Finches ; but they do not belong to the Conirostral or 

 Thick-billed Birds, as most authors suppose, for their bill 

 is differently formed, and they never shell or husk seeds, 

 but swallow them entire. They feed on insects, worms, 

 and seeds, along with which they pick up particles of 

 gravel and sand. They reside chiefly in the open fields 

 and pastures, run with considerable celerity, generally 

 in a half-crouching posture, and have a rapid and undula- 

 ted flight, with a peculiar fluttering mode of flying while 

 singing. Their song, although pleasing, is not generally 

 melodious, but in several species is extremely protracted. 

 They nestle on the ground, laying from four to six spotted 

 eggs. Seven species occur in Britain. 



GENUS LIII. ANTHUS. PIPIT. 



Bill of moderate length, slender, straight, compressed to- 

 ward the end ; upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly 

 decimate at the base, very slightly declinato-arcuate toward 

 the end, the ridge narrow at the base, the sides convex, the 

 notches slight, the tip narrow but rounded ; lower mandible 

 with the angle rather long, the dorsal line straight, the sides 

 convex, the edges erect, the tip narrow ; gape-line straight, 

 a little deflected at the base. Mouth of moderate width ; 

 tongue very slender, sagittate and finely papillate at the base, 



