574 SHORE LARK, 



I have given six figures of this beautiful Lark in different stages. The 

 male birds, which, during the love season, have the black tufts of feathers 

 on their head, as represented in the plate, nearly lose them at the approach 

 of winter, when the brightness of their whole summer plumage is also 

 much diminished. 



Alauda alpestkis, Linn. Sjst. Nat. vol. i. p. 289 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 498. 



Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 102. 



Shore Lark, Wils. Americ. Ornith. vol. i. p. 85, fig. 4. Female. 



Horned or Shore Lark, Alatjda cornuta. Swains, and Richards. Fauna Bor. 



Americ. vol. i. p. 245. 



Adult Male. Plate CC Fig. 1 and 3. 



Bill rather short, somewhat conical, compressed, acute, straightish, en- 

 tire ; upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly arched, the edges in- 

 flected and sharp, the point acute ; lower mandible straight, with inflected 

 edges and acute tip ; nostrils basal, oval, with an arched membrane, and 

 covered by the frontal feathers. Head rather large, neck short, body oval. 

 Legs of ordinary length ; tarsus longer than the middle toe, anteriorly 

 scutellate, acute behind ; lateral toes nearly equal, the outer united to 

 the middle one at the base ; hind toe of moderate size ; claws longish, 

 slightly arched, that of the hind toe very long, tapering, acute, and nearly 

 straight. 



Plumage rather dense and compact. Wings of moderate length ; the 

 second and third primaries longest, first and fourth nearly equal ; second- 

 aries emarginate ; scapulars elongated. Tail emarginate, straight, of 

 twelve feathers. The principal peculiarity in the plumage consists of two 

 erectile pointed tufts of feathers on the anterior and lateral parts of the 

 head, which give the bird, viewed from before, a very remarkable appear- 

 ance, somewhat resembling that of an owl. 



The colours of the male in its winter plumage, are as follows, Beak 

 blue at the base, blackish at the point. Iris chestnut-brown. Feet and 

 claws greyish-black. The general colour of the upper parts is a dusky- 

 brown, the feathers paler on the edges. On the forehead is a recurved 

 crescentic band of brownish-black, forming the erectile tufts ; another 

 curved downwards, proceeds on each side from the base of the upper man- 

 dibles ; while a band of yellowish white runs over the eyes and forehead. 

 Throat pale yellow, with a broad patch of a dusky tint on the lower neck 

 anteriorly ; the rest of the under parts brownish-white. The quills 



