ALAUDID.E - THE LAliKS. 141 



Eremophila alpestris, I '.die. 



THE SHOBE LABK. 



Si'. CiiAii. Adult male; spring. A i'roiital croscont, curving biU'kwanl in ii broad, 

 sharply liolinccl, siiiicrciliiiiy strips to thu ooMput; oiiin, throat and foronuuk, and a cri'sccnt 

 across niiddio of car-covcrts, wiiitish, eitiicr more or loss tinged willi yellow, or pin'c 

 white. Fiowcr parts, except laterally, white. A broad erosi;enlic jjateh behind the 

 liontal whitish crescent, running back on each siilo of the crown and terminating in an 

 erectile tiilt of narrow elongated feathers on each side of occiput, a pat(;h covering the 

 lores, nasal tufts, jiassing beneath the eye, and forming n broad '• mustaohe" on the 

 cheeks, with a convex outliiu! lieiiind and eoueavt? anteriorly, and a liroad cii'scentic i)alch 

 across tlu^ jiigiilinn, deep black. A (M'escentie spot of grayish-drab across tlie ends of liie 

 am-icuhus. Posterior portion of the crown enclosed laterally between the " ear-tufis," 

 occiput, nape, latiMul lower parts, lesser and middle wing-(;overts, and upper tail-coverts, 

 piidiish-lirown ; the sides and Hanks with obsoli'te dusky streaks. Back, sca|)ulars, rump, 

 wings, ami two middle tail-fealhors, asliy-drab, the (eiither.s darker centrally, I'urming 

 rather conspicuou.s broad streaks on lower part of back; miildlo aiul se(;ondary coverts, 

 secondaries and primaries bordered torininally, quite conspicuously, with white. Tail 

 (except the iiilenncdia) \i\iick ; outer web of lateral feather almost entirely white, that 

 of the next edged with the same. 



Adult female ; spring. .Similar, but markings rather less sliar[)ly defined; a tendency 

 to streaking of nape and crown; these streaks often displacing the ciuitimious black of 

 the anterior portion of crown. The "ear-tufts" less developed. 



Winter adult. Similar to the spring dr<,'ss, but the black .u-eas obsiMired, more or less, 

 by whitish borders to the feathers; the frontal whitish band less .sharply delineil. ]5reast 

 with numerous more or less distinct deltoid s])e(;ks of |ilumbeous, and the pinkish of the 

 siiles much tinged with the same. The dusky streak.s above .-ire broader and more con- 

 spicuou.s. 



Yoniif/. Kiist ])lumage, entirely diflerent from the adult. Above dusky, variegated 

 with whiti.sh dots, sprinkled over the whole surface; these specks tc-rmiiial on each 

 leather, and of a deltoid form, becoming more transverse and crescentic on the scapulars 

 and rump; each feather of the wings broadly bordere<l with pale lirowiiish, approaching 

 M'liite on the coverts. The blackish areas are but faintly indicated by a dusky suflusion, 

 generally very indistinct, across the breast, and over the cheeks; and variegated with 

 liadly delineil, more dusky spots; lower parts, including post-ocular stripe, dull white; 

 sides spotted with dusky. 



Tlic E. ii/prsfris, iis restricted, is represented in the collection by throe 

 jierlect sju'cimens, in the severtil staoes of ]iluiiuioi' de.scrilied ; while there 

 is also ii line sju'cinien from Astriichan, representing ii white-throated race 

 (" var. //( /" on MS. label) of Central Asia. The series of American s]ieciiiien3 

 is all tiiat coidd posfjldy be desired, there beinn niuncrous examples from 

 nearly the wlnde northern continent, from the Arctic reoitms to as far .south 

 a.s JVioota, ami from coast to coast. 



The common Shore Ltirk of the northern parts of North America ajipears 

 to bo absolutely identical with the Kiiropeaii bird, etich of the sjieciniens of 

 the latter beino; easily niiitched from the American .series. It therefore 

 becomes nece,.ssary to reduce the name " atriintii" to a synonyme n^ nipidris, 



