AVES. 49 



Pamily ALAUDID^. 

 Genus OTOCORYS. 



94. Otocohts pallida. 



Otocorys penicillata (nee Gould) ; Severtz. J. f. O. 1875, p. 191 ; Scully, Str. F. iv. p. 174 (1876); Dresser^ 



Ibis, 1876, p. 181 ; Severtz. Ibis, 1883, p. 61. 

 Otocorys pallida, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xiii. p. 533 (1890). 



Nos. 938, 939, <s ad. Sanju, October 31.— Wing 4-7-4-85 inches. 



No. 892, [ S ] ad. Sanju, October 28.— Length 7-65 inches, wing 4*4, tail 3-05, tarsus 0*9. 

 Bill bluish horny, blackish towards the tip, pale below ; iris brown. 



All three in full winter plumage, in which stage it is extremely difficult to tell some 

 of the specimens from 0. alUgula, because the black feathers on the sides of the face 

 and chest-band are rather broadly edged with white, and then the accumulation of 

 these white edges, in a carelessly prepared skin, gives a pale appearance between 

 the ear-coverts and the chest-band which may render the skius easily mistaken for 

 O, hrandti. 

 No. 945, S ad. Sanju, November 1. — Wing 4*35 inches. 

 No. 927, ? ad. Khushtagh, November 2. — Wing 4*4 inches. 

 No. 940, S ad. Oi-tograk, November 3. — Wing 4*2 inches. 



All the above females have the throat-patch obscured by ashy -^whitish margins. 

 No. 952, 6 ad. Bora, November 4. — Wing 4*6 inches. 



Has a slight tinge of yellow on the forehead. The pale margins have almost 

 vanished from the throat-patch, but are a little more distinct on the ear-coverts ; the 

 black band across the hinder crown is becoming pronounced. 

 No. 967, 6 ad. Karghalik, November 6. — Wing 4*65 inches. 



Very similar to the foregoing specimen, but the frontal band is not so distinct. 

 No. 991, 9 . Yarkand, November 10. — Wing 4*5 inches. 

 No. 1046, 6 . Yarkand, November 23. — Wing 4*2 inches. 



The male does not show much advance on the specimens killed earlier in the month, 

 but there are certain signs of disappearance of the winter plumage in the development 

 of black on the frontal band and ear-tufts ; there is also a slight strengthening of the 

 line at the base of the forehead, which, however, is never absent in winter-plum aged 

 males, but is scarcely visible in the females. 

 No. 1115, 6 . Yangihissar, December 2. — Wing 4*85 inches. 



Nos. 1132, 1136, 1149, 1152, c5" . Kashghar, December 11-16.— Wing 4-6-4-75 inches. 

 No. 1252, c^ . Maralbashi, January. — Wing 4-7 inches. 



In all the above specimens there is a slight indication of approaching nuptial 

 plumage. 

 No. 1305, 6 . Kashghar, February 4. — ^Wing 4*8 inches. 



The black on the crown, sides of face, and throat is so strongly developed that there 

 is scarcely any indication of light edgings left. 

 No. 1440, 9 . Tashkurghan, March 30. — Wing 4*4 inches. 



This is rather a curious bird, for, although it was shot in the spring, and by the black 



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