170 ALAUDIN.E. ANTHUS. 



specimens in Mr Audubon's collection. The specimens in the 

 museum I had, when assistant-conservator there, marked " An- 

 thus pratensis, near Edinburgh, August 1824." They are known 

 by Mr Carfrae to have been prepared by his brother, who at 

 that time preserved objects, along with Mr Wilson, for the 

 museum. Should they be individually different from those of 

 my note-book, we have four specimens of this species obtain- 

 ed in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh in the same year. The 

 following description is taken from the prepared specimens, 

 the colours of the bill and feet being supplied from my notes. 

 Bill of moderate length, straight, slender, broadish at the 

 base, much compressed toward the end ; upper mandible with 

 its dorsal line slightly declinate at the end, the ridge narrow, 

 the edges slightly inflected, the notches very small, the tip 

 sharp ; lower mandible with the angle long and narrow, the 

 dorsal line ascending and straight, the tip very narrow. Nos- 

 trils oblong, small, at the lower anterior margin of the nasal 

 membrane, which is bare anteriorly. Eyes of moderate size. 

 Head oblong, neck short, body slender. Feet rather long, very 

 slender; tarsus much compressed, with seven anterior scu- 

 tella ; the hind toe with its first joint very long, its claw mo- 

 derately arched and a little longer ; the anterior toes slender, 

 compressed, the third and fourth united at the base ; claws 

 rather long, arched, extremely compressed, broadly grooved, 

 acute. Plumage very soft and blended ; wings rather long ; 

 the four outer primaries almost equal, but the first longest, 

 the fourth shortest ; the second, third, and fourth, slightly cut 

 out on the outer web toward the end ; the inner primaries and 

 outer secondaries emarginate ; the inner three tapering ; tail 

 rather long, slightly emarginate. Bill dusky brown, the basal 

 part of the lower mandible and basal margins of the upper 

 flesh-coloured ; feet and claws purplish- brown. The general 

 colour of the upper parts is greyish-brown, with a slight tinge 

 of olive, the margins of the feathers on the hind part being 

 greenish ; the central part of each feather of a darker tint ; a 

 distinct yellowish-white band from the bill over the eye; quills, 

 coverts, and tail-feathers, brown ; the tips of the secondary 

 coverts and first row of small coverts pale brownish-grey ; pri- 

 mary quills edged with greyish-white ; secondary quills and 

 their coverts with greenish-yellow ; the greater part of the 

 outer web, and an oblique patch on the inner web of the outer 

 tail-feather, white ; the margin of the terminal half of the 

 outer web, and a small patch at the end of the next similar. 

 The lower parts yellowish-grey ; the throat, abdomen, and 



