﻿Lieut. 
  H. 
  E. 
  Barnes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Aden. 
  83 
  

  

  59. 
  Passer, 
  sp. 
  inc. 
  

  

  The 
  identity 
  o£ 
  the 
  Aden 
  Sparrows 
  must 
  still 
  remain 
  

   undetermined. 
  They 
  are 
  most 
  abundant 
  inland, 
  especially 
  

   at 
  Shaik 
  Othman 
  ; 
  they 
  frequently 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  tanks 
  and 
  

   I 
  have 
  often 
  seen 
  one 
  in 
  the 
  Transport 
  Lines, 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  

   not 
  seem 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  these 
  latter 
  places. 
  Unfortunately 
  

   the 
  only 
  specimen 
  I 
  preserved 
  was 
  immature, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  had 
  

   been 
  tied 
  up 
  a 
  whole 
  day 
  in 
  a 
  camel-man^s 
  puggaree 
  before 
  it 
  

   reached 
  me, 
  it 
  was 
  quite 
  unrecognizable. 
  I 
  always 
  meant 
  

   to 
  get 
  another 
  ; 
  but, 
  having 
  to 
  leave 
  Aden 
  rather 
  suddenly, 
  

   I 
  could 
  not 
  do 
  so. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Brazier 
  tells 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  kept 
  a 
  score 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  in 
  

   an 
  aviary, 
  but 
  that 
  their 
  pugnacity 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  all 
  but 
  

   two 
  soon 
  met 
  their 
  death 
  from 
  the 
  onslaught 
  of 
  others. 
  

  

  60. 
  Pyrrhulauda 
  melanauchen. 
  Cab. 
  (Sharpe, 
  Cat. 
  B. 
  

   xiii. 
  p. 
  655.) 
  

  

  The 
  Black-crowned 
  Finch-Lark 
  is 
  a 
  permanent 
  resident, 
  

   and 
  is 
  most 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  sandy 
  plain 
  between 
  the 
  Isthmus 
  

   and 
  Shaik 
  Othman. 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  nest 
  containing 
  two 
  partly- 
  

   fledged 
  young 
  ones 
  on 
  the 
  4th 
  February, 
  but 
  was 
  never 
  

   fortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  nest 
  with 
  eggs 
  ; 
  a 
  pair 
  was 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  sandy 
  plain 
  at 
  Steamer 
  Point, 
  but 
  I 
  do 
  

   not 
  think 
  they 
  bred 
  there, 
  the 
  place 
  being 
  too 
  public, 
  more 
  

   so 
  since 
  golf 
  came 
  into 
  fashion. 
  

  

  61. 
  Alauda 
  cristata, 
  Linn. 
  

  

  The 
  Crested 
  Lark 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  permanent 
  resident 
  inland, 
  

   and 
  frequents 
  the 
  sandy 
  plain 
  that 
  forms 
  the 
  Isthmus 
  

   joining 
  Aden 
  proper 
  to 
  the 
  mainland. 
  I 
  never 
  succeeded 
  in 
  

   finding 
  a 
  nest. 
  

  

  They 
  occur 
  occasionally 
  in 
  Aden 
  itself, 
  but 
  only 
  as 
  

   temporary 
  visitors. 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  seen 
  a 
  pair 
  on 
  the 
  Malla 
  

   Plain, 
  and 
  have 
  noticed 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  maidan 
  at 
  Holket 
  Bay. 
  

  

  62. 
  Al^mon 
  desertorum 
  (Stanley). 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  the 
  Desert 
  Lark 
  is 
  the 
  commonest 
  Lark 
  occurring 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighbourhood. 
  They 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  

   localities 
  as 
  the 
  other 
  species, 
  showing 
  perhaps 
  a 
  more 
  

   decided 
  preference 
  for 
  the 
  sea-shore 
  and 
  the 
  paths 
  between 
  

   the 
  salt-pans. 
  

  

  g2 
  

  

  