256 SIIORT-TOED LARK. 
more or less throughout the year in Greece, Turkey, Southern 
Russia, Asia Minor and Palestine; while further east we trace it to 
Persia, Turkestan, the northern half of India, and as far east as 
Lake Baikal. , 
The nest is placed at the foot of a tuft.of grass, or in a cavity, such 
as ahoof-print; bleached grass, with a few feathers, wool and hair as 
a lining, forming the materials. The 4-5 eggs are dull white, mottled 
and freckled with greyish-brown: measurements *78 by “58 in. 
During the breeding-season the bird frequents dry and sandy soil, 
and plains where the herbage is somewhat scanty; while its tame- 
ness is such as often to cause difficulty in shooting a specimen for 
identification without blowing it to pieces, and I have seen a bird 
cut down with a whip in the road. The male utters his short and 
rather feeble song while perched on some clod or low wall, or during 
a brief, undulating, and somewhat jerky flight. In autumn and 
winter large flocks are formed, and in India, according to Jerdon, 
they darken the air. The food consists principally of small seeds. 
The adult has the upper parts pale rufous-brown with darker 
streaks; a white line over each eye; central tail-feathers dusky- 
brown, the rest blackish-brown, except the outer pair which are 
broadly margined with buffish-white ; under parts white, with a few 
brown spots and streaks on the side of the neck, and a buffish 
tinge on the breast and flanks. The short and conical bill is 
yellowish-brown ; the legs are pale brown ; the hind claw is straight 
and, as a rule, short, but subject to considerable variation. After the 
moult both upper and under parts have a warm rufous tint, which is 
sometimes retained until the middle of the following May. Length 
5°75 in.; wing 3°5 in. The sexes are alike in plumage. The 
young bird has the feathers of the upper parts, including the tail, 
broadly margined and tipped with buff. 
This Lark is one of a group of allied species which have been 
placed by some systematists in the genus Calandrella, characterized 
by the absence of crest, a stout conical bill, comparatively short 
hind-toe, and an infinitesimal bastard primary. Several of its con- 
geners are found over portions of the same area: for instance, Ca/an- 
drella betica in the extreme south of Spain, C. minor in North 
Africa and the Canaries, and C. pispoletfa in the steppe-region east 
of the Volga. These three, however, are more closely related to one 
another than to our bird, being distinctly marked with numerous 
dark brown streaks on the throat and breast ; their eggs, moreover, 
have bold spots on a creamy white ground. 
