﻿LARK. 381 



of the body edged with grey j beneath, whitifh; the middle of 

 each feather marked with black : the quills and two outer tail 

 feathers margined with white : legs brown. 



This is found in the drieft defarts between the rivers Vol? a and Place.. 



Jakk, in Ruffia, and the whole Tartarian defart; and is a folitary 

 bird during fummer ; but as winter approaches it frequents inha- 

 bited parts in numbers together. 



Its fong is very trivial* 



Alauda mutabilis, N. C. Ac. Petrop. xv. p. 459. t. 23. f. 2. MUTABLE L 



^Ip H I S fpecies is about feven inches in length. The bill Description.- 



eight lines long, whitifh at the bafe, and blackifh at the 

 tip : irides livid : the bird is wholly of a black colour ; but on 

 the hind part of the neck, the back as far as the rump, the fea- 

 thers have hoary edges, and the axillary feathers of fome are 

 hoary : quills and tail tipped with brown; the lafl rather forked, 

 and the outer feather not brown, at the tip : the legs and claws 

 black. 



The female differs in having the forehead hoary, which in the Femali. 



male is of the fame colour as the reft of the head- 

 In young birds the plumage is afh-coloured ; in fome much 

 inclining to red, and otherwife variegated with grey ; but the fe- 

 males have the hoary forehead in all ftages. 



This is very common at Aftrachan in winter ; flying in flocks Place.- 



to the more retired places near the Volga in fpring- 



I obferved a fine fpecimen of the male in the collection of Mifs 

 Blomefield. The edges of the feathers were cream-coloured, and 

 formed tranfverfe bars on the upper parts of a beautiful appear- 

 ance ;, 



