CERTHILA UDARHA MPHOCOR YS 377 



and rufous buff ; flanks streaked with rufous ; bill curved and elongated, 

 blackish brown ; legs pale reddish; iris brown. Culmen I'O, wing 4'0, 

 tail 2-8, tarsus O87, hind-toe 0'37, hind-claw 0'38 inch. 



Hob. The extreme south of the Iberian peninsula (where it is 

 rare), Tunis, and the Algerian Sahara. 



Frequents open places in the desert and feeds on insects and 

 seeds. Its flight is strong, and its song is said to be pleasant. 

 It is usually seen singly or in small families, never in flocks, 

 and said to be rather shy and wary. Its nest is placed on the 

 ground and is shallow, and the eggs, usually 4 in number, are 

 dull white spotted with hair-brown, the spots being often 

 collected round the larger end. In size they measure about 

 0-87 by 0-67. 



I have compared specimens of Dr. Kosnig's C. margaritce, and 

 cannot separate it from the present species. Dr. Sharpe (I.e.) 

 separates subspecifically, under the name Chersophilus lusitanicus, 

 a form described by Prof. Barboza du Bocages as Certhilauda 

 duponti var. lusitanica (Jorn. Lisb. 1887, p. 214) from Portugal, 

 but it appears to me to be a very doubtful subspecies. I have, 

 however, not been able to examine a specimen. 



RHAMPHOCORYS, Bp., 1851. 



541. THICK-BILLED LARK. 



RHAMPHOCORYS CLOTBEY. 



Rhamphocorys clotbey, Bp. Comptes Eendus, xxi. p. 423 (1851) ; Dresser, 

 iv. p. 383, pi. 242 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xiii. p. 527 ; Koenig, 

 J. f. 0. 1895, p. 429, Tab. xiv. (Bird, nest, and eggs). 



$ ad. (N. Africa). Upper parts, scapulars, and smaller wing-coverts 

 sandy isabelline, the crown greyer and indistinctly striped ; quills blackish 

 brown, the secondaries terminated with white forming a large alar patch 

 or band ; middle rectrices rufous isabelline, the rest white broadly tipped 

 on the middle, narrowly on the outer ones, with dark brown ; sides of the 

 head, face, and of the upper throat black ; with a streak below the eye, 

 and a spot below the ear white; chin, throat, and under parts white 

 spotted with black on the breast and upper abdomen and with a long 

 black central patch ; flanks and breast washed with isabelline ; beak and 

 legs sandy brown, the beak very stout ; iris dark brown. Culmen 0'8, 

 height of beak at base 0*5, width of mandible at base 0'37, wing 4'9. tail 

 2*8, tarsus 0'83 inch. The female differs from the male in being paler, . 

 the black less pure, and here and there washed with rufous buff. 



Hob. Resident in the desert regions of Algeria and Tunis. 



