386 MELANOCORYPHA 



<$ ad. (E. Siberia). Upper parts chestnut-brown, more rufous on the 

 head and rump, the back, wing-coverts, and rump obscurely marked with 

 darker rufous ; outer quills blackish with narrow paler margins ; inner 

 primaries and secondaries white ; innermost secondaries dark brown 

 margined with rufous and rufous buff; tail brown, the outer feathers 

 largely white ; under parts white, the flanks washed with rufous ; super - 

 cilium white, on the sides of the neck a large black patch narrowly 

 joined in front ; bill flesh colour ; legs reddish brown ; iris brown. 

 Culmen 0'78, wing 5'0, tail 3'3, tarsus I'O inch: In the winter the upper 

 parts are more fulvous in tinge and the feathers have ashy margins ; the 

 black on the neck is interrupted in the middle. Sexes alike. 



Hob. Southern Dauria, Mongolia, and Manchuria ; N. China 

 in the winter season. 



Frequents the elevated plateaux and hilly steppes, and is a 

 resident in most parts of its range, merely changing locality 

 according to season. Its song is short, somewhat like that of 

 the Skylark, and is usually uttered whilst the bird is in the air. 

 This Lark is a good mimic, and often imitates the song of 

 other species. Its flight is undulating and rapid, and though 

 it is usually seen on the ground it will occasionally perch on a 

 bush. Like its allies it feeds chiefly on seeds, and in the- 

 winter collects in large flocks and wanders about in search of 

 food. Its nest is placed on the ground in a small depression in 

 the soil, or in a grass tussock, and the eggs, which are deposited 

 late in May or in June; are said to resemble those of the 

 crested Lark, and in size average about 0*91 by 0*7 1. 



554. BLACK LARK. 

 MELANOCORYPHA YELTONIENSIS. 



Melanocoryplia yeltoniensis (Forst), Phil. Trans. Ivii. p. 350 (1767) ; 

 Dresser, iv. p. 377. pi. 241 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xiii. p. 559 ; 

 J/. tartarica (Pall.), Keis. R. Reichs, ii. Anhang. p. 707 (1773) ; 

 Gould, B. ofE. iii. pi. 161. 



Javronok-tscherndi, Rnss. 



ad. (S.Russia). Entire plumage jet black the feathers on the uppei 

 parts with narrow sandy margins here and thera. Culmen 0'7, wing 5*3, 

 tail 3'0, tarsus I'O inch. In the autumn the black is obscured by tolerably 

 broad sandy margins to the feathers. The female has the upper parts 

 pale sandy brown marked with dark brown, the rump and lower back 

 rufescent ; rectrices and renriges blackish brown with narrow buffy white 



