ITALIAN SKYLARK. 121 



it is difficult to understand. The first figure of this bird, with notice, 

 was that given by Dubois (as stated in my first edition) in his work 

 upon the Birds of Europe, pi. 101 («), and no one can possibly 

 mistake this figure for that of our Skylark. The following are the 

 remarks of M. Dubois (op. cit.) : — 



"The Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte is the first who has observed 

 and described this bird, which inhabits Italy. In the beautiful collec- 

 tion of M. le Baron Selys-Longchamps there is a specimen which 

 was captured in the neighbourhood of Liege. Ualouette cantarelle is 

 smaller than the Skylark. Its plumage differs equally.". . . ."As this 

 bird was observed in Italy by a naturalist with great care, and as it 

 was found in great numbers, it was impossible to avoid the conclusion 

 of its being a distinct species, and our doubts were completely dissi- 

 pated. This Lark has not been before represented, and ornithologists 

 will be gratified by my giving them a faithful engraving, which is 

 the first published of this bird." 



Alauda cantarella, as shown above, occurs in China, and Canon 

 Tristram has added two other localities for this bird, in his paper 

 on the Birds of Palestine, "Ibis," 1866, p. 287: — "A. arvensis we 

 found only in winter on the sea-coast in large flocks; and it does 

 not appear to remain in any part of the country in spring. Probably 

 these flocks are migrants from the far north, as they never penetrate 

 inland. There their place is taken by the closely-allied species A. 

 cantarella, Bonaparte, of which there were myriads, in vast flocks, 

 about Beersheba in winter, where there were none of arvensis. We 

 were unable to find their summer residence, and did not revisit the 

 south at the breeding-season. Mr. Swinhoe's Chinese specimens are 

 precisely similar; and I possess a specimen, also identical, which I 

 shot more than twenty years ago at Geneva." 



By the kindness of the Rev. Canon Tristram I have been able to 

 examine four specimens from different parts of the world, namely, — 

 India (two), Beersheba, and Umballah, and on comparing them with 

 my own series of A. arvensis I find the following differences: — 



The birds from the Holy Land are smaller than any of my spe- 

 cimens, while that from India is equal to the largest English specimen 

 in my possession, both in total length, and from carpus to tip of 

 wing, four inches and a quarter, while the latter in the specimen 

 from Beersheba is only four inches and one tenth. The beak in all 

 the cantarella skins is shorter and otherwise smaller than in the 

 English bird. The feet are the same in dimensions; in one specimen 

 the hinder claw is longer in the English skin. 



Placed together on their backs a marked difference in the plumage 



VOL. III. K 



