SHORE-LARK. 385 



whilst in the valley of the Yenesay^ I observed it in lat. 66^° passing in 

 great numbers on migration^ but only found it breeding above lat. 69J° *. 

 Eastwards it probably breeds above the limits of forest-growth to Behring's 

 Straits. In the valley of the Lena, MiddendorfE observed flocks on the 

 Arctic circle migrating northwards to breed. In the Palsearctic Region 

 there is no evidence of this bird ever having bred below the Arctic 

 circle. 



In winter the Shore-Lark is an accidental visitor to the south of Norway, 

 Germany, Denmark, Belgium, France, and Italy, but appears to have 

 never been observed on the Spanish peninsula. It is also a rare winter 

 visitor to Hungary, Turkey, and South Russia ; and eastwards is found at 

 that season in South-west Turkestan, South Siberia, and North China ; 

 although it does not appear to have ever occurred in Japan. On the 

 American continent, the breeding-range of the Shore-Lark is probably 

 confined to the tundras above the limit of forest-growth, which on this 

 continent extends somewhat further to the south than in the Old 

 World. 



The Shore-Lark has several very near allies. The most distinct of these, 

 A. penicillata, is a resident in Asia Minor and Palestine, the steppes of 

 South-east Russia, South-west Siberia, and Turkestan, extending east- 

 wards as far as the Altai Mountains. This species may at once be 

 distinguished from every other Shore-Lark by its having the black on the 

 ear-coverts joined to the black on the throat, thus isolating the white on 

 the throat. It is doubtful if any of the other Shore-Larks are specifically 

 distinct from our bird ; but throughout the Himalayas, in Turkestan, the 

 Altai Mountains, Dauria, and Mongolia, occasionally wandering in winter 

 into North China, a pale form occurs, A. longirostris, which also differs in 

 having the forehead, eye-stripe, and throat white, instead of yellow, A 

 still more isabelline and slightly smaller form, A. bilopha, inhabits the 

 deserts of Northern Africa and Arabia. In America a southern form 

 occurs, A. occidentalis, breeding on the plains of the upper vaUey of the 

 Mississippi and the valley of the Missouri, which is scarcely distinguishable 

 from A. longirostris ; but it is said that intermediate forms between this 

 and A. alpestris are not uncommon. In Mexico and the adjoining United 

 States, extending southwards into the extreme north-west of South 

 America, A. chrysolama is said to be a resident. It is a very remarkable 

 fact that this tropical form is scarcely distinguishable from A. alpestris, 



* There can be little doubt tbat the Shore-Lark mentioned by Eversmann as extei^ding- 

 only to 53° north latitude, and alluded to by Sabaniieff as breeding in the Perm Govern- 

 ment (a statement which is quoted by Dresser and apparently endorsed by Newton), is 

 the West-Asiatic Shore-Lark, A. peniciUata. The Shore-Larka mentioned by Eadde as 

 breeding above the limit of forest-gro-wth in the Thian-Shan Mountains are unques- 

 tionably A. longirostris. 



