1920.] Birds of North- East Childi. 901 



went l)y during tlieise two days. Ou tlic 16th T saw a large 

 fioek a few luiles inland also going west, and I was told that 

 the birds had been passing for four days. Many were netted 

 by the natives and live birds were selling in the market for 

 a few eeuts. Flying with the Mongolian Larks were large 

 flocks of Alundula cheleensis. All these birds passed by or 

 settled in the fields for a short time and then flew on. 



133. Alauda arvensis pekinensis Swinhoe. 

 Alauda pekinensis Swinhoe, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 83. 

 Alauda arvensis D. & O. p. 312. 



Gi'eat numbers of Larks fly past dnrini; October and 

 November, often in company with the flocks of rooks and 

 jackdaws. Many remain ou the i)lain during the winter 

 and migration begins again early in INIarch, migrants being 

 seen until about the middle of April. 



The Larks obtained in this locality during winter have 

 the ground-colour of the feathers of the upjjcr parts of a 

 rather light sandy buff^ the breast is pale-coloured, with 

 narrow, well-defined spots. Five males obtained, one on the 

 7th of November and lour in Februarv, measure in the wins; 

 from -1.-28 to 4*48 in., three females obtained in January and 

 ou 8th and 22nd of March are similar (wing 4*00 to 4-20). 

 A female shot at Shaweishan on the 4th of November (wing 

 4-20) resembles these north-east Chihli winter birds. Four 

 males shot here in September and October on migration 

 have similar njjiier parts, but the breast is tawny with rather 

 large and less well-defined spots, wing 4*40 to 4*60 in. The 

 same bird occurs at Chinkiang in winter (wing, ^ 4'37in., 

 ? 4"10in.), and some winter birds from Foochow are very 

 similar as to colouring, but are smaller (wing, (^ 4-01 to 

 4-22 in., ? 3-90 in.). 



134. Alauda arvensis cinerasceus J'^hmcke. 



Alauda arvensis U. & O. p. 312 (|)art) ; La T. p. 576. 



A small, dark-coloured Lark, piobably l]hnicl;e"s Skylark, 

 passes here in spring. I have autumn examples from 

 Shaweishan, a winter bird from Chinkiang, and tuo winter 

 birds from Foochow. These birds are very heavily marked 



