110 DUPONT'S LARK. 



by authors, states that he has at length received a specimen from 

 Algeria, which he admits is that described by Temminck, and must 

 be considered as distinct. 



With the birds before me, I cannot help expressing surprise that 

 A. dupontii should ever have been confounded either with the bird 

 last described, or with the Skylark. It is perfectly distinct from each, 

 as the specific characters above will shew, and I have much pleasure 

 in being able to add something to its natural history, not only by 

 giving a figure of the bird shot by Mr. Tristram, but also a drawing 

 of the es'sr, which I believe has never before been figured, and 

 which rare and precious specimen that gentleman was kind enough 

 to trust to me for illustration. 



Dupont's Lark is found in Syria, some parts of Barbary, and in 

 the south of Spain. Its occurrence in the centre of Europe is, how- 

 ever, only accidental. Degland says it is frequently found exposed 

 for sale in the markets of Marseilles. The real home of this inter- 

 esting species is, however, among the sandy deserts of Northern Africa, 

 where its habits have been observed by the Rev. H. B. Tristram and 

 Captain Loche. From the description of the former in the "Ibis," 

 vol. i., p. 427, I quote the following: — 



"This elegant and delicately-marked bird, a link between Galerida 

 and Certhilauda, beautifully illustrative of the gentler gradations by 

 which Nature glides from one type to another, is, I believe, the very 

 rarest of all the Larks of the Sahara. I found it only in the far 

 south, in the Wed Nca, at which place it was also obtained by Captain 

 Loche a few months afterwards. Neither of us ever saw more than 

 two or three pairs. The white outer tail feathers give it the appear- 

 ance at first sight of our common Skylark, for which indeed it passed 

 with my companion, who was the first to shoot it. Captain Loche 

 obtained a nest of four eggs, one of which he kindly presented to 

 me. As might have been expected, the eggs differ much from the 

 typical characteristics of the Lark. They are very round, nine lines 

 and a half by eight, of a soiled white colour, with pale brown 

 blotches sparingly scattered over the surface, bearing a strong resem- 

 blance to small varieties of Lanius excubitor, but with an ivory-polished 

 surface." 



It is quite clear that all the doubts raised as to the specific dis- 

 tinctness of this bird, have arisen from an imperfect acquaintance 

 either with its skins or habits. 



The adult male in winter plumage (Mr. Tristram's specimen is 

 marked December, 1856,) has all the upper parts of the body a rich 

 brown, of lighter and dark shades, variegated with greyish on the 



