382 TOO OR YSMELANOCOR YPIIA 



$ ad. (Persia). Differs from 0. alpestris in having the upper parts 

 paler, the whole of the neck, face, throat, and upper breast, except a patch 

 covering the chin and upper throat, deep black ; a band across the base of 

 the bill joining the lores also black ; and the throat patch is pure white, 

 there being no yellow on the throat or head. Culmen 0'62, wing 4'6, tail 

 3'3, tarsus 0'85, hind-toe with claw 0'62 inch. 



Hob. S.E. Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Palestine, 

 Syria, Transcaspia, Persia, Turkestan, Afghanistan, and Gilgit ; 

 frequenting the mountains up to 12,000 or 15,000 feet in 

 summer, descending to the plains in winter. 



In general habits it resembles the Shore-Lark, and like that 

 species runs on the ground with ease and great rapidity. It 

 feeds on seeds and insects in summer and on the former only in 

 winter. Its song is described as being rich and melodious. 

 It breeds high up in the mountains at the edge of the snow, 

 late in May, and the nest, which is placed on the ground, is 

 constructed of dry plant-stems, bents, and portions of the flat 

 leaves of a thistle, lined with finer bents; and the eggs, 4 to 5 

 in number, resemble those of 0. alpestris, but are larger, 

 measuring 0*95 by 0'7 1, and paler in colour, the markings being 

 nearly obsolete in most specimens. 



Dr. Sharpe recognises two subspecies, viz. 0. bicGrnis (Cat. B. 

 Br. Mus. xiii. p. 532) and 0. diluta (torn. cit. pp. 533, 670); but 

 after a careful comparison of specimens I cannot recognise 

 either of these even as subspecies, as they are merely slightly 

 paler varieties of 0. penicillata, and indeed I failed to distinguish 

 them from specimens from Erzeroom of true 0. penicillata. 



Like all birds whose range is very extensive, the Larks 

 belonging to the genus Otocorys are subject to considerable, 

 though often but very trifling, local variation, and in a review 

 of the genus recently published (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxiv. 

 pp. 801-884) Mr. Oberholser recognises as many as thirty-six 

 species and subspecies. 



MELANOCORYPHA, Boie, 1828. 



549. CALANDRA LARK. 

 MELANOCORYPHA CALANDRA. 



MelanocorypJiacalandra (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 288 (1766) ; (Naum.) iv. 

 p. 127, Taf. 98, fig. 1 ; (Gould) B. of E. iii. pi. 162 ; id. B. of. Gt. 

 Brit. iii. pL 19; Newton, i. p. 646; Dresser, iv. p. 365 pis. 238, 

 fig. 1, 239 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mns. xiii. p. 551 ; Saunders, 

 p. 258. 



