295 



n 



even winters, being sedentary in the Governments of CharkofF and Voronege." Kessler found it 

 frequenting gardens, orchards, villages, and towns, in which latter it is found about the streets 

 in company with Sparrows; and the peasantry in South-western Russia call it Posmetushka, or 

 dust-bird, as it is always seen about the dust-heaps. Eversmann writes that " it inhabits the 

 southern parts of the Volga and the adjoining steppes, the shores of the Caspian, the Ural, 

 Sir-Daria, and the southern Kirghis steppes, but does not appear to occur near Orenburg.'' 

 It is found in the countries bordering the Black Sea, and is not uncommon in Asia Minor and 

 Palestine — according to Canon Tristram, " one of the commonest birds in the latter country in 

 the open grounds of the central, northern, and coast regions, remaining all the year, and 

 breeding as late as June, though most of the nests were taken about the end of April." I have 

 also examined a specimen from Cyprus. Messrs. Finsch and Hartlaub give the range of the 

 Crested Lark in Africa as " extending over the entire northern part (Algeria, Tunis, Tripoli, the 

 Sahara, Egypt), the north-eastern part (Nubia, Kordofan, Abyssinia at 4000-10,000 feet altitude, 

 in the Gallas country up to 12,000 feet, the Bogos country, the countries bordering the Red Sea, 

 the Island of Dahalak), to the south into the Somali country in our eastern range (where Von 

 Heuglin observed it at Seila), on the Adriatic coast, and a portion of the west (Senegal, Kasa- 

 manse). In the central districts neither Antinori nor Von Heuglin observed it either on the 

 Upper White Nile or the Gazelle River." 



Dr. Th. von Heuglin writes that " the Crested Lark is a resident in Egypt, Arabia, the 

 islands of the Red Sea, Nubia, and Kordofan, even in the highlands of Abyssinia. On the 

 Upper White Nile and in Southern Senaar I never met with it. The African varieties and races 

 are invariably smaller than our European birds ; and the colour of the plumage varies, according 

 to their habitat, whether it be on cultivated land, hills, or the desert, from brownish grey and 

 bright rusty yellow to pale cream grey. The crest is sometimes more pointed and elongated, 

 sometimes broader and shorter ; and the thickness of the bill and length and form of the spurs 

 vary equally much. In song and habits they are precisely similar to our European Crested 

 Lark. The Abyssinian form is small and darkest-coloured; above light reddish brown, with 

 broad distinct brownish black shaft-stripes ; axillaries and under tail-coverts cream-coloured, with 

 a vinous tinge ; breast and sides and a broad superocular stripe reddish cream-coloured ; this 

 local form we met with in Tigreh and Amhara, at an altitude of 4000-10,000 feet, and in the 

 Galla country up to 12,000. Tarsus 9 J"', wing 3" 8'", distance between wing and point of tail 7'", 

 tail 2" 4'". The Egyptian form has a longer pale horn-yellow bill, longer, narrower crest, rather 

 slighter figure, and is in colour more or less of a sandy yellow (A. cristatella, Mus. Lugd.). The 

 breeding-season in Egypt is in March, in the Archipelago of Dahlak in May and June ; in Tigreh 

 I found fledged young in December." 



What Dr. von Heuglin says about this species in North-western Africa I can well confirm 

 from the examination of a large series of specimens from North-western Africa; and after a 

 careful examination of all the specimens I can collect together, and after being not a little 

 puzzled by the great individual varieties, I have come to the conclusion that but three species 

 can be looked on as valid — the present species, G. isabellina, Bp., and G. macrorhyncha, Trist. ; 

 and I hesitated somewhat before deciding on the specific value of the second of these, which is 

 merely a small desert form or race of the Crested Lark. Loche states that the present species is 



