BLACK LARK. 



123 



GRANIVOR^. 



Family ALAUJDIDJE. 



Genus Alauda. (Linnceus.) 



Section III. — Larks with thick beaks. 



BLACK LARK. 



Alauda tartar ica. 



Alauda tartarica, 



mutabilis, 

 nigra, 

 Melanocorypha tartarica, 



Galandra nigra, 



Alouette negre, 

 Steppenlercher, 



Pallas; Voy., 1776. 

 Gmelin; Syst., 1788. 

 Latham; Ind., 1790. 

 Temminck; Man., 1820. 



VlEILLOT. CUVIER. LESSON. 

 SCHINZ. SCHLEGEL. DEGLAND. 



Gmelin; Syst., 1788. 



Falk; p. 796. 



Ch. Bonaparte; List, 1838. 



Keyserling and Blasius, 1840. 



Dubois; Ois. de la Belg., liv. 73, 



p. 102 a. 

 Of the French. 

 Of the Germans. 



Specific Characters. — No false primary; the three first true ones nearly 

 equal; the fourth eight tenths, and the fifth seven tenths, of an inch 

 shorter than the third ; claw one fifth longer than toe. Beak one tenth of 

 an inch longer than broad. Plumage black in spring, yellow grey in the 

 autumn, with the wings and tail black. Length of male specimen sent me 

 by Mr. Tristram, seven inches and three quarters ; carpus to tip five inches 

 and a quarter. 



The Black Lark is an inhabitant of northern climes. In Europe it 

 is found in the precincts of the Wolga and Istych Rivers in Russia. 



