196 



FRINGILLIDiE. 



rowly edged with fulvous, but none of the feathers tipped with white; 

 tail dark brown, with conspicuous white tips to all the feathers except 

 the two central ones ; all the rectrices edged more or less broadly with 

 fulvous ; lores and a distinct eye-brow whitish ; cheeks fulvous white 

 with a slight mottling of rufous; ear-coverts entirely rufous; throat 

 white ; rest of the under surface dull white, the upper part of the 

 breast and flanks rufous; a black pectoral gorget extending right 

 across the lower part of the throat; on the upper part of the breast 

 are a few indistinct mottled lines below the black gorget ; under tail- 

 coverts whitish; under wing-coverts entirely greyish brown ; bill horn- 

 brown, the under mandible yellowish; feet fleshy yellow; iris dark 

 brown. 



" Ohs. — Some specimens are much greyer than others ; others again 

 are more rufous ; some are more white on the belly and have the breast 

 much obscured, so that the pectoral gorget is scarcely discernible. 

 This last dress seems to be the winter plumage. 



" Young. — Similar to the adult, but more rufous in the centre of the 

 back ; gorget more obscure, and the stripes on the upper breast more 

 indistinct; the bill likewise seems to be more yellow." — Sharp and 

 Dresser, Birds of Europe. (The males are larger than the female.) 



Length. — 7'06 to 8 inches, expanse 13"13 to 15'25, wing 4'2 to 4*8, 

 2nd primary is the longest, the 1st is subequal to 0*2 shorter, the 3rd is 

 from 0'13 to 0"3 shorter, and the 4th 0'5 to 0'7 shorter, tail from 

 vent from 2'12 to 2-4, tarsus 1 to I'l. Bill from forehead to point 

 0-6 to 0-7, from gape 0-7 to 0-9, height at front 0-2 to 0-25, the 

 closed wing fall short of end of tail by from 0*38 to 0'87, 



" Legs and feet fleshy or yellowish fleshy, more or less dusky at joints ; 

 claws dusky ; irides brown, in some light brown ; bill horny brown or 

 blackish horny on upper mandible ; lower mandible greenish horny, 

 changing to yellow at base and gape." — Hume, Lahore to Yarkand, 



Hah. — Upper Sind, and the Desert East of Omercote, ( Blf. ) in the 

 Thurr and Parkur Districts, Beloochistan, Persia, Afghanistan, and 

 Eastern Turkistan. 



Gen. Alaudula. — Blyth. 



Bill less thick than in Calendrella, and more slender, very slightly 

 curved; first three quills longest ; tail even ; hind claw small, straight. 



Alaudula adamsi, Hume, Ibis. 1871, p. 405; id. Str. F. i. 213; 

 v. 327; Murray, Hdbk, ZooL, ^c, Sind, -p. ^90. — The Little Sand-Laek. 



The following is a description of the species by Mr. Hume : — 



In the winter the whole upper surface is very pale grey or whitey 

 brown, all the feathers narrowly centred with grey brown, so as to 

 pi'oduce a striated appearance. There is in many specimens a more or 

 less perceptible, but still very faint rufous tinge on the back. The 

 wings are pale brown, the outer webs of the first primaries nearly 

 entirely cream colour, the other primaries narrowly tipped and margined 

 white ; secondaries more broadly ; tertiaries and coverts still more 

 broadly margined with fulvous or slightly greyish white ; the 



