400 THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 



The Bush- Lark. 



Mirafra horsfieldi. 



South Queensland to Victoria and South Australia. 



Above grey-brown with blackish centres to the feathers, hence spotted 

 or barred; wings and tail dark brown; cheeks and throat buffy- white; 

 rest of under surfaces buff, with triangular spots of dark brown on the 

 fore-neck and chest. Total length 5 inches, culmen .5, wing 2.8, tail 1.8, 

 tarsus .7. 



It frequents open grassy flats, low heath grounds and cultiva- 

 tion paddocks. When disturbed it flies a few yards only with 

 a peculiar jerky flight, and then suddenly drops into conceal- 

 ment again. It is one of our most pleasing songsters, and may 

 often be heard singing at night while on the wing high in the 

 air, especially on bright moonlight nights during the summer. 

 It constructs a partially domed nest of dry grasses in a slight 

 hollow in the ground, sheltered by a tuft of grass. Eggs three 

 in number, in colour greyish-white, blotched and freckled with 

 light chestnut-brown and purplish-grey, very like those of 

 Anthus australis, .8 x .5 inch. 



The Lesser Bush-Lark. 



Mirafra secunda. 



South Australia. 



Very like M. horsfieldi but rather smaller, and the upper surfaces 

 more rufeseent, the shoulder of the wing distinctly rufous. Total length 

 5 inches, culmen .5, wing 2.8, tail 1.8, tarsus .7. 



M. milligani from North-west Australia, has no rufous 

 colouring, the terminal parts of each feather, which are rufous 

 in the other species, are in these birds nearly white, while the 

 greater portion of each feather is brownish-black. Therefore 

 they appear black and white dorsallv and pale cream ventrally 

 (Hall). 



A pale rufous form of this bird has been described from the 

 Northern Territory as .1/. rufescens. It is closely allied to 

 M. secunda, but the brown feathers of the back are less con- 

 spicuous, while the striations on the chest are almost obsolete. 



