1920.1 Birds of Sontliern Palestine. 207 



on the back and crown being less conspicuous than in 

 adults. 



Ammomanes deserti. 



.1. d. fraterculus Tristr. 



A local resident in suitable counlry, being found at 

 Shellal on the Wadi Gaza, at Beershebn, and near Jericho. 

 This race apparently extends east to the Persian Gult" and 

 north to Kuryatein in the Syrian desert. Of six birds 

 obtained the win.gs of males vary from 92 to 99 mm. 



Galerida cristata. 

 G. c. hracliyura Tristr. 



An abundant i-esident in northern Sinai, southern 

 Palestine, and north to Jaffa. It occurs in both the coastal 

 plain and in the Juda3an highlands south of Jerusalem. 

 North of the line Jaffa-Jerusalem birds tend towards cinna- 

 momea, though a specimen from C^armel, whence the type of 

 this race was obtained, on being compared with the actual 

 type of cinnaniomea cannot be referred to it. Hartert (Vog. 

 pal. Fauna, p. 235) remarks that birds from Jorus;ilem 

 and Asia Minor are intermediate between cinnamcmca and 

 hrochyura. I do not wish to question the validity of cinna- 

 moniea as a subspecies, for the two specimens in the Tring 

 collection, both from Mount ('armel — one of which is the 

 type — are absolutely distinct from any of the fifteen 

 hracliyura we obtained in southern Palestine, being of a 

 rich cinnamon-red on the upper parts. I am, however, 

 unable to distinguish G. c. eritrece Zedlilz from the west 

 Red Sea littoral from hracliyura. 



As regards the Crested Larks of Palestine, one can only 

 say that typical bracJii/ura, stretching from both shores of 

 the lied Sea north to the line Jaffa- Jerusalem, becomes 

 redder in the Juda?an highlands and north of the Jaffa- 

 Jerusalem line, birds from Oarmel and possibly elsewheie in 

 such places as the Lebanon and Hermon, being typical 

 ciimamomea, whilst surrounding cinnamomea occur examples 

 which are intermediate between tliat race and hrarhyura. 



