ALAUDlNiE. 119 



but between them, breeding in Siberia and wintering in North-west 

 India, Asia Minor, and Palestine, occurs an Arctic race, Alauda 

 arvemis dulcivoss (Hodgson, Gray's Zool. Misc. i. p. 84), of inter- 

 mediate size between the northern and southern races, and inter- 

 mediate in the colour of the underparts between the eastern and 

 western races, but much greyer on the upper parts than either of 

 them. 



When we remember that the north, south, east, west, and arctic 

 races intergrade in every direction, it is easy to understand how com- 

 plicated a problem the nomenclature of the races of the Sky-Lark 

 becomes. It is, however, still more complicated by the existence of 

 a small race or species (wing 3'7 to 3"3 inches) in South China and 

 Ceylon, of the colour of the European Sky-Lark, but having on 

 an average a larger bill and a longer hind claw. This species 

 intergrades with a pale grey race, which appears to be a resident in 

 Turkestan and India. The pale small species has been called Alauda 

 gulgula (Franklin, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1831, p. 119); and the rufous 

 race of it might be called Alauda gulgula ccelivox (Swinhoe, Zoologist, 

 1859, p. 6723), were it not that on the Island of Formosa it appears 

 to intergrade with Alauda arvemis pekinensis. Probably all the 

 seven forms are only climatic races of one widely spread and very 

 variable species. 



91. ALAUDA ALPESTRIS. 



(SHORE-LARK.) 



Alauda alpestris, Linneus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 289 (1766). 



The Shore-Lark may be recognized by the black on the fore part 

 of the crown, the ear-coverts, and the upper breast. 



Figures : Dresser, Birds of Europe, iv. pi. 243. 



The Shore-Lark, Alauda alpestris, has very slender claims to be 

 regarded as a Japanese bird. It was included doubtfully from a 

 drawing amongst the discoveries of Dr. Siebold (Teraminck and 

 Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves, p. 138), but it has not been obtained 

 by recent collectors. There is some evidence that it occurs on the 

 Kurile Islands, as its local name there is recorded (Pallas, Zoogr. 

 Rosso- Asiat. ii. p. 520). 



The Shore-Lark is a circumpolar bird, breeding on the tundras of 

 both hemispheres above the limit of forest-growth. 



