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CASSELLS BOOK Of BIRDS. 



length ; the feet are strong, the toes of moderate size, and the hinder toe armed with a slightly curved, 

 spur-like claw. The plumage of this bird is variegated in its tints ; the length of its body is about 

 seven inches, the breadth thirteen ; the wings measure four, and the tail three inches. The Alpine 

 Lark is an inhabitant of Northern Europe, and is easily recognisable by its elegant and striking 

 appearance. Upon the back the feathers are of a reddish grey ; the wings and tail black, bordered 

 with dark brown ; the breast and belly of a very pale yellowish grey, so light as to be nearly 

 white. The markings upon the head are extremely beautiful : the brow is of a dull yellow, the region 

 of the ear yellowish grey, enlivened by a bright brimstone-coloured line, which passes over the eyes, 

 and gradually spreads till the throat and sides of the neck are of the same colour. The upper part of 



TIIE ALPINE LARK (PhiUremc-s alpestris). 



the breast is decorated with a triangular patch of velvety black, the cheeks, base of the beak, a streak 

 upon the head, and the tufts being of the same rich deep shade. The eye is light brown, the beak and 

 feet of a blueish tint. The coat of the nestlings is of a pale brownish grey upon the back, all the 

 feathers edged with light yellow ; the belly is white, and the individual feathers furnished with a pale 

 yellow border ; the wing and tail feathers are brown. 



The name of the Alpine Lark is derived, not from the Swiss Alps, but from the mountains of 

 Siberia, and the rest of Northern Europe, where, at the present day, it is met with in large numbers, 

 though until within the last fifty years it was considered to be one of the rarest birds in our continent. 

 According to our own observations, this species is not found at a greater elevation than 400 or 500 

 feet above the level of the sea. In Lapland it lives near the coast. These Larks quit the more 

 northern countries at the end of October, and return about April, when they at once commence 



