DUrONT’s LARK. 
185 
This bird has been considered by many ornithologists 
as a variety of the Skylark, and Keyserling and Bla- 
sins have even described it as a monstrosity. Homcycr, 
in Cabanis, Journal, Heft. 3, 1859, p. 204, speaks of it 
doubtfully as a species, and gives in the same article 
some excellent advice about the too prevalent habit of 
species making. In “Naumannia,” part 3, 1858, Pro- 
fessor Blasius, however, after giving the various opinions 
which have been held about this species by authors, 
states that he has at length received a specimen from 
Algeria, which he admits is that described by Temminck, 
and must be considered as distinct. 
With the birds before me, I cannot help expressing 
surprise that A duponiii should ever have been con- 
founded either with the bird last described, or with the 
Skylark. It is perfectly distinct from each, as the 
specific characters above will shew, and I have much 
pleasure iii being able to add something to its natural 
history, not only by giving a figure of the bird shot 
by Mr. Tristram, but also a drawing of the egg, which 
I believe has never before been figured, and which rare 
and precious specimen that gentleman vras kind enough 
to trust to me for illustration. 
Dupont’s Lark is found in Syria, some parts of Bar- 
bary, and in the south of Spain. Its occurrence in the 
centre of Europe is, however, only accidental. Degland 
says it is frequently found exposed for sale in the 
markets of ^Marseilles. The real home of this interesting 
species is, however, among the sandy deserts of Northern 
Africa, where its habits have been observed by the Bev. 
H. B. Tristram and Captain Loche. From the descrip- 
tion of the former in the ‘This,” vol. i., p. 437, I quote 
the following: — 
^‘This elegant and delicately-marked bird, a link be- 
