378 RHAMPHOCORYS OTOCORYS 



It is only found in the true desert, where it appears to affect 

 the bases of the hillocks, and is generally met with in pairs or 

 small family parties. Its flight is strong and it runs with 



S-eat celerity. Its food consists of insects and small seeds. 

 n the wing it utters a lark-like twitter or whistle, but I find 

 no description of any song. It breeds in April, and the nest> 

 which is placed in a depression on the ground under a bush, is 

 constructed of grass-bents and plant-stems, lined with finer 

 bents and occasionally with hair, and is large and well built. 

 The eggs, usually 4 in number, are thin-shelled and fragile, 

 cream-coloured with a pale apricot tinge, spotted all over with 

 rusty red and rose-violet, and measure about 0'95 by 0'75. 



OTOCORYS, Bp., 1838. 



542. THE SHOKE-LAKK. 



OTOCORYS ALPESTRIS. 



Otocorys afyestris (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 289 (1766) ; (Wilson) Am. 

 Orn. i. p. 85, pi. 5, fig. 4 ; (Naum.) iv. p. 149, Taf. 99 ; (Hewitsonj 

 i. p. 178, pi. xlv* ; (Gould) B. of E. iii. pi. 164 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit, 

 iii. pi. 18 ; Newton, i. p. 604 ; Dresser, iv. p. 387, pi. 243 ; Sharper 

 Cat. B. Br. Mus. xiii. p. 541 ; Saunders, p. 259 ; Lilford, iv. p. 1, 

 pi. 1; Kidgway, p. 348. 



Lodola-gola-gialla, Ital. ; Bergkrcke, German ; Bergleeuwerik, 

 Dutch ; Bjcerglaerke, Dan. and Norweg. ; Berglarka, Swed. ; 

 Tunturileivonen, Kello-lintu, Finn. ; Ruossa-alap, Lapp. ; Javronolc- 

 snejny, Russ. 



( ad. (Lapland). A band across the fore-crown and an elongated tuft 

 on each side of the crown, lores and cheeks black ; forehead and a stripe 

 surrounding the ear-coverts pale sulphur yellow ; hind-crown, nape, and 

 upper parts pinkish brown, the back striped with brown ; quills dark 

 brown ; wing-coverts pinkish brown, all margined and tipped with white ; 

 central rectrices reddish brown, the rest black margined with white ; a 

 large pectoral shield black, separated from the black on the head ; chin 

 and throat pale sulphur yellow ; rest of the under parts white, the 

 flanks streaked with brown and washed with reddish brown ; bill greyish 

 black, paler at the base below ; legs blackish ; iris dark brown. Culmen 

 0'65, wing 4'0, tail 2'8, tarsus 0'88, hind-toe with claw 0'6 inch. Female 

 smaller and duller in colour. In the winter the colours are obscured by 

 yellowish brown margins to the feathers and the yellowish colour is 

 deeper. 



Hob. Northern portions of both continents, in winter found 

 in continental Europe, down to the Mediterranean (rarely), 

 Great Britain, and in Asia to N. China; North-eastern North 

 America, in winter south to the Carolinas, Illinois, &c. 



