19; [Vol. xv. 



flanks ; primaries blackish, narrowly edged with dull'yellow; 

 secondaries and wing-coverts blackish, broadly edged extern- 

 ally with buff; middle tail-feathers acuminate, with dusky 

 middles and dull yellow margins ; outermost rectrices buff, 

 with narrower dusky middles : bill and feet blackish. Wing 

 4*05 inches, tail 3"45, tarsus 1'2, culmen 0*65. 



Hab. Gough Island, 200 miles south of Tristan da Cunha. 



I have named this bird in honour of Mrs. Bruce, the wife 

 of the leader of the expedition. 



Mr. J. I. S. Whitaker exhibited a new subspecies of 

 Skylark {Alauda arvensis harterti), and made the following 

 remarks : — 



" The bird I have to show is a new subspecies or form 

 of the Common Skylark, which breeds in the Tunisian 

 Regency, and is probably resident there throughout the 

 year. It appears to be a good geographical race, and is 

 sufficiently distinct from the typical Alauda arvensis, L., 

 to rank as a subspecies. It differs chiefly from A. arvensis 

 in its paler and more rufescent coloration, and in its rather 

 longer and somewhat differently shaped bill. These cha- 

 racters are perhaps not very strongly marked, but appear to 

 be constant. 



li I may here observe that until a few days ago I only 

 possessed specimens of this Lark obtained in the somewhat 

 worn plumage in late spring, and, finding certain nesting 

 Skylarks in the British Museum collection which closely 

 resembled my Tunisian birds, I hesitated to separate the 

 latter. Having, however, recently received a few more 

 specimens of Tunisian Skylarks iu fresh plumage, obtained 

 at the end of October, I found among them one which 

 differed from the others in its paler and more rufescent 

 plumage, and in the shape of its bill, proving, in my opinion, 

 the distinctness of this form. The bulk of the examples I 

 have just received from Tunis are the ordinary A. arvensis^ 

 which occurs abundantly in the Regency as a winter migrant, 

 and no doubt far outnumbers the paler breeding-birds. 



" I may here remark that a third form of Skylark is to be 



