18 LARK FINCH. 



plates meeting so as to form a very sharp edge ; toes moderate, the first 

 strong, the lateral equal ; claws rather long, slender, much compressed, 

 laterally grooved, moderately arched, very acute. , • 



Plumage soft and blended, the feathers ovate. There are short 

 bristles at the base of the upper mandible. Wings of moderate length ; 

 the outer three quills nearly equal, the third longest, but exceeding the 

 first only by one-twelfth of an inch, and the second by a quarter of a 

 twelfth ; the fom-th not much shorter, the rest slowly decreasing ; the 

 outer secondaries emarginate, the inner tapering to a blunt point, one 

 of them considerably elongated. Tail rather long, rounded. 



Bill reddish flesh-colour, the upper mandible tinged with dusky. 

 Feet and claws flesh-colour. On the upper part of the head are three 

 longitudinal bands of white separated by two of light red, the anterior 

 part of which is black. The upper parts are light greyish-brown, lon- 

 gitudinally streaked with dusky, the central part of each feather being 

 of the latter colour, the hind part of the back and the rump without 

 streaks. On the wing are two faint bands of yellowish-white, formed 

 by the tips of the first row of small coverts, and those of the primary 

 coverts, and a patch of the same formed by the bases of the outer pri- 

 maries ; the quills dusky brown, slightly margined with whitish, the 

 inner secondaries with light red ; the tail darker, all the feathers ex- 

 cepting the middle terminated by white, which on the outer occupies 

 more than a third of its length, and extends nearly to the base of the 

 outer web. Below the eye is a white streak ; the cheeks are light red, 

 with an anterior black spot ; under them a broad white band extends 

 from the lower mandible and curves upwards, separated from the throat 

 which is white by a short line of black on each side. The lower parts 

 are yellowish-white, the lower part of the neck greyish, the sides tinged 

 with greyish-brown, the lower wing-coverts greyish-white. 



Length to end of tail 6| inches ; extent of wings 8i ; bill along the 

 ridge ||, along the edge of lower mandible t% ; wing from flexure S^t^ ; 

 tail 3 ; tarsus j^ ; hind toe ^|, its claw || ; middle toe ^^, its claw x'^. 



