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common in Palestine, where, however, according to Canon Tristram (Ibis, 1866, p. 287), "it is 

 confined to the Dead-Sea region and the southern wilderness." He considers that the greyer 

 and darker form constitutes a distinct species from the paler rufescent-isabelline bird, and says 

 that the latter " is the least common, being found only in the highlands close to the Dead Sea 

 in very small bands." As above stated, however, I am unable, after having examined a series of 

 specimens from various localities, to find any specific distinction between the dark and the light 

 race. Mr. C. W. Wyatt met with this species in the Sinaitic peninsula, where, he says, it is 

 common amongst the higher parts of the mountains, but less abundant lower down. 



In North-east Africa the Desert-Lark is abundant ; and Von Heuglin (Orn. N.O.-Afr. p. 685) 

 says that "it appeal's to be a resident in Egypt, Northern Arabia, and Nubia, southwards to 15° 

 N. lat., and likewise occurs in the Abyssinian coast region, possibly as far as the Somali country, 

 but is not found in the mountains of Habesch. It is found in pairs on the border between the 

 cultivated country and the desert, as well as in the desert itself, especially near the caravan roads. 

 Its song is poor, and the call-note lisping ; it is generally seen on the ground, but occasionally 

 on a low bush ; it runs swiftly, and usually quite straight ; and it feeds on insects, durrah seeds, 

 and the seeds of the various desert-plants." Mr. E. C. Taylor writes (Ibis, 1867, p. 64) that he 

 found it abundant near Cairo in January, and shot it close to the walls of the city. Near 

 Assouan he found only the darker form (A. fraterculus, Tristr.). Dr. Leith Adams speaks of it 

 (Ibis, 1864, p. 25) as being "not uncommon on the deserts of Nubia, and usually seen in small 

 flocks." Mr. Jesse obtained a specimen at Koomaylee in June 1868, where it was not plentiful, 

 but more so at Amba in August ; and Mr. Blanford speaks of it (Geol. & Zool. of Abyss, p. 390) 

 as " not rare to the west and north-west of Massowa on rocky and stony ground amongst thin 

 bushes." 



In North-western Africa it is common in the sandy plains ; and Major Loche, who considers 

 that there are two distinct species of the larger-sized Desert-Larks in Algeria, and describes the 

 one under the name of Annomanes isabellina and the other under that of Annomanes deserti, 

 states that it is common in the Algerian Sahara, but does not occur near the coast. Canon 

 Tristram says (Ibis, 1859, p. 422), it "occurs first on leaving the Hauts Plateaux in small 

 numbers, but is more plentiful further south, inhabiting the open plains, where it is difficult to 

 conceive how it finds subsistence. Its lateral range is wide. I have obtained it from the 

 frontiers of Morocco to Arabia Petrsea. It is sedentary, and breeds both in the Algerian 

 Sahara and in the wilderness of Judsea." Mr. Taczanowski says (J. f. O. 1870, p. 42) that "it is 

 met with on the south side of the Atlas, and about midway between Batna and Elkantara it is 

 numerous;" and Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., speaks of it as having been found by him at Laghouat, 

 and thence as far as Gardaia on the bare stony plains, and less commonly on the hill-sides. 



To the eastward it is found as far as India, and was met with in Persia by Mr. Blanford, 

 who says that " it is extremely common in Baluchistan and on the coast of the Persian Gulf, but 

 it becomes scarce and local in the highlands of Persia. Among the barren hills of Baluchistan 

 this was almost the only bird which was abundant." It is not recorded from Turkestan by 

 Severtzoff ; but Dr. Jerdon (B. of India, i. p. 423) speaks of it as inhabiting Afghanistan and 

 Central Asia, and spreading into Cashmere and the Punjab Salt range ; and Mr. A. O. Hume, 

 who found it in Sindh, writes (Stray Feathers, i. p. 211) as follows: — "This in and about the 



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