MIRAPRA. 



191 



tlirough the eye ; crown of the Lead slaty grey^ each feather with a 

 dark central streak; nape greenish olive; back, scapulars and lesser 

 wing-coverts yellowish green, the feathers with a dark mesial streak ; 

 median coverts dark brown, edged with yellow; greater coverts also 

 dark brown, margined on their outer webs, and tipped with yellow ; 

 pi'imaries and secondax-ies dusky brown, margined whitish on their 

 inner webs, and edged on the outer very narrowly with greenish ; rump 

 olivaceous ; upper tail-coverts yellowish, some of the lateral feathers 

 with a dark mesial streak ; chin, throat, breast and sides of the face 

 bright golden yellow ; a dark brown nearly black streak from each side 

 of the base of the lower mandible extending to the sides of the neck, 

 which is slaty grey; sides of the breast slaty grey with a narrow band 

 issuing from each side, nearly meeting on the lower breast and forming 

 a nearly complete pectoral band ; rest of under surface yellow ; tail 

 dusky brown, the feathers slightly darker on their outer webs, and all 

 tipped yellowish white on their inner webs; bill horny; legs dark 

 fleshy ; irides light brown. 



Length. — 4-93 inches, wing 2'62, tail 1"5, bill at front 0'31. 



This pretty little species was got at Kurrachee, and is now alive in the 

 possession of Mr. J. Strip, Assistant Collector of Customs, to whom lam 

 indebted for having very kindly permitted mo to describe it. It was 

 captured in May 1881, having been struck by a catapult, and the wing 

 so hurt, as to disable it from flying. It has been a captive since, and 

 appears quite happy. A second one was seen by Mr. Strip shortly 

 after on a mound near an abandoned well in one of the Kurrachee 

 gardens. He says, that the bird in his possession is hardy and lively, 

 and has an extremely pleasant song. It has outlived three canaries, 

 and never yet appeared dull or ill, even when moulting. 



It differs from hortulana, canaria and aurifrons, first in size, being 

 smaller than the first two, and quite unlike in colour ; and from 

 Tristram's aurifrons, pi. 7, Ibis. 1868 in having no striations on the 

 flanks, and from all the species I know, in having a nearly complete 

 pectoral band, which is its chief characteristic. Tristram refers (1. c.) to 

 Bonaparte's S. syriacus, which he says has a bright yellow forehead, 

 light coloured back, and uniform yellow under surface without striations. 

 It may possibly be this species, but there is no mention of the pectoral 

 band, the slaty grey sides of the breast, and the dark streak at the 

 base of the upper mandible. I therefore provisionally name it pectoralis, 



Sub-Family, ALAUDIN^,— Larks. 



Bill more lengthened than in any of the Frmgillidce, the tip entire 

 or obsoletely notched ; tertiaries as long or neai'ly as long as the 

 primaries ; hind claw lengthened, straight or slightly curved. 



Gen. Mirafra.— iTors/. 



Bill thick, much compressed, the culmen curved and convex, the tip of the 

 upper mandible wide above "and inflexed ; -wings short, rounded; primar- 

 ies scarcely longer than the secondaries and tertials; 1st quill short, half 

 the length of the second, which is shorter than the third; tail short, even. 



