1874.] larks of southern africa. 627 



7. Ammomanes ferruginea. 



Alauda ferruginea, Lafr. R. Z, 1839, p. 258 ; Smith, 111. Zool. S. 

 Afr. Aves, pi. 29 (1847); Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 208 (1867). 



Megalophonus ferrugineus, Bp. Consp. i. p. 244 (1850) ; Gray, 

 Hand-1. B. ii. p. 122 (1870). 



Adult (type of species). Above uniformly deep vinous cinnamon, 

 the head coloured like the back and showing no pronounced grey 

 shade on the hind neck ; least wing-coverts uniform with the back, 

 inasmuch as the brown bases to the feathers are concealed ; median 

 and greater coverts dark brown, margined with cinnamon shading 

 off into yellowish buff on the extreme edge of the feathers ; quills 

 light brown, with ashy fulvous edges, the secondaries more broadly 

 margined, with cinnamon shading into whitish on extreme edges, 

 especially the innermost, where the cinnamon colour occupies the 

 greater part of the feather, leaving the centre of it only longitudinally 

 brown; rump vinous cinnamon, the upper tail-coverts rather inclining 

 to brownish cinnamon, resembling the centre tail-feathers, which are 

 longitudinally brownish down the centre, and by no means so bright 

 cinnamon as the back ; rest of the tail-feathers very dark brown, 

 narrowly edged with cinnamon buff, a little more broadly on the 

 penultimate feather, and very distinctly on the outermost, where the 

 rufescent margin occupies more than half of the outer web ; lores and 

 feathers under the eye dull white, as well as an ill-defined eyebrow; 

 ear-coverts uniformly cinnamon ; cheeks, throat, and sides of neck 

 whitish, the former slightly spotted with blackish forming an indis- 

 tinct moustache ; rest of under surface creamy white, shading into 

 ashy-rufous on the flanks and thighs, the sides of the upper breast 

 rufous ; lower throat and breast very distinctly marked with blackish 

 spots* those on the former triangular, gradually becoming more 

 longitudinal on the breast, and disappearing on the sides of the body, 

 many of the longitudinal streaks washed with rufous ; under win«*- 

 coverts and inner lining of wing almost uniformly ashy or leaden 

 brown, the innermost secondaries washed with rufous on inner web ; 

 some of the under wing-coverts with indistinct whitish edgings ; 

 under tail-coverts creamy-white washed with cinnamon towards the 

 tips of the middle ones ; " bill dark yellowish brown, passing towards 

 the base of the lower mandible into dusky yellow ; feet and claws 

 light yellowish brown ; eyes dark brown " (Sir A. Smith). Total 

 length 7*5 inches, culmen 07, wing 4'1, tail 3*2, tarsus 1'2. 



Bab. "The extensive arid plains to the southward of the Orange 

 River " (Smith) . Of this species I have only seen a single specimen, 

 the type, uow preserved in the Museum. Sir Andrew Smith seems 

 to have procured more, as he writes of the female that she has the 

 ground-colour " not quite so bright as in the male ; and the brown 

 streaks on the breast are less distinct ; " nor does he appear to have 

 looked upon it as a scarce bird. 



Specimens examined. 



E mus. Brit, .—a, <S ad. South Africa (Sir A. Smith, type of 

 species). 



