Notes on the Birds of the SamhJmr Lake Sf its vicinity. 389 



found was on the 22nd April, 1870. As I was riding- alono; the 

 lake edg'e^ I saw a female with a feather in its bill^, so I followed 

 it up to its nest. The nest was nearly finished, but contained 

 no eg-gs. On the 26th there were two eggs, and I think this is 

 the normal number^ but I have a record of three being found in 

 one nest. The nest was built well out into the lake bed, on 

 the top of a low retaining wall of a salt pan. It was a deepish 

 cup shape, in diameter about three inches, with the q^^ cavity 

 rather less than two inches across and half an inch deep. It was 

 chiefly composed of coarse pieces of grass worked carelessly 

 together, and here and there were pieces of cloth and twine of 

 the same material as the salt bags are made of. Round the nest 

 was a belt about five inches broad composed of small pieces of 

 an incrustation of saline earth about a tenth of an inch in thick- 

 ness. The pieces varied much in size, but the largest were about 

 an inch long by half an inch thick. 



This nest was comparatively safe, but it is a puzzle to me 

 how others which I have seen on the lake edge escape being 

 squashed by the thousands of bullocks and camels which are 

 continually passing and re-passing. 



The eggs are pale yellowish green in color and covered with 

 very minute specks of various shades of brown. 



761.— Calandrella brachydactyla, Leisl. 



Very abunda,nt. 



761 i^er.— Melanocorypha torquata, Bl. 



This lark is not very common. The only specimen I have was 

 rescued from the talons of a hhyree (peregrine) . 



765 Us^. — Spizalauda simillima, Sume. 



Not very common. 



767.— Alauda gulgula, Frank, 



Very abundant. Flocks of this species are found all over the 

 plains in the cold weather. 



769. — Galerida cristata, L. 



The crested lark is very common. It breeds about April and 

 May. On the 29th April I saw a nest all but finished in a 

 wheat field. In young birds the head, back, and wing coverts 

 are spotted with dusky white. 



* This is the Upper Indian form, quite distinct, as I have previously pointed 

 out, from 8. deva of Sykes, which, by the way, may have to stand as S. Malaharica. 

 Scop.— Ed., Stray Feathers. 



