MUTACILl.l U.E — THE WAGTAll-S. 



175 



its daw but sliiiiitly eiirvcd, and alxiut liall'tlio total loii;j:tli. Inner laloval too rather lon^vr 

 than outer. Winf^'s nnich longer tlian tail; liist. quill loii^'cst. Tertials eoiisideraMv lohi.'er 

 than fx'condarie.s. Tail rathci' short, eniai-.uinate. 



But one si)ecies of this gemis is known, it being peculiar to the Western 

 plains. 



Neocorys spraguei, S( r,.vT. 



MI8S0UBI SKTLABK; SFBAOUE'S PIPIT 



AliiH(l<( sjimgitn, Avn. Binls Am. VII, li>-t:i, li-i:,, pi. ccicl.x.x.wi. Aijni(l„iii,i siifdijnd. 



UaH!!), Stansliury's lit'p. 1S;V2, 329. ycoairi/f! sjmirjHci, Si't.ATKli, 1'. Z. S. 1857, H. 



liAllil), Birds N. .\ni. 1858, 231. — Hi.akiston, Iliis, 18112, 4 (Saskatidicwan). — (.'o();'iii;. 

 Oni. C'al. I, 1871), 80. Anthus (Xeucurijs) .sinvijitei, liAlliD, lii'V. 155. 



Sr. CiiAH. Ahove wood-brown, all the li'alher.s ed.u'ed with paler, espei-iallv on the 

 noek, where there i.s a browni.sh-yellow ting;e. Tiie under parts are dull white, with a 

 collar of sharply ilelined narrow brown .streaks aeross the forepart and alonj;' the sides of 

 the breast. Lores and a supereiliary line whitish. Tail-feathers, e.\eepl the middle ones 

 dark brown; the outer one while, the .second white, with the inner nitn-i,nn brown. The 

 outer primary is ecl'<ed with white, and there are two dull whitish bands aero.ss the winns. 

 Rill and feet yellow, the t'ormer brown aliove. " I,enf;th (leinale), 5."."); will"-, 3.35- 

 tail, 2.50. 



Hab. Plains of Yellowstone and Upper .Missouri to Saskatehewan ; Nebraska. 



This '.ittle-known species 1ms tlie oenenil iiiiiiearancu of a Titlark, Imt is 

 readily distinouished from Anthm lu- 

 doviriannti hy the jiurer white of its 

 under parts, the much darker centres 

 and much ptiler maroins to the fetitliers 

 above, the entirely white external tail- 

 featiier, iind tlie yellow legs and bill, as 

 well as by its generic peculiarities. In 

 its song and general habits it ajiproaches 

 nearer the Kurojiean Skylark than any 

 bird belonging to oin- faiiiiii. 



Haiuts. Tiiis interesting s]iec,ies was 

 first described by AudulMPii, in the suji- 

 plementary jKU'tion of his ]Urdsi)f Ameri- 

 ca. It was obtained by the jiarty wliich 

 accompanied him tn the I'pper ]\lissouri in \M'.\. It was first met with on 

 the I'.lth of June near Kort I'nion, in Dacotah Territiny. It has since been 

 found on the Ibrk of the Saskatchewan, but little additional information 

 respectiiig its jialiits litis lieen obtained since its iirst discovery. 



It seems to more nearly appmacli, in its haliits, tlie Kiiro])ean Skvlark 

 than any otlier of our Nortii American liirds. Mr. Kdward Harris was com- 

 pletely misled, at tirsl, by the .sound of their song, so tliat on several occa- 

 sions he sought for tlieiii on ijie gmuud. Their voices appeared to come to 



Neontri/s sitrtii:ntt. 



