186 
BUrONx’s LARJv. 
tween Galerkla and Certhilauda, beautifully illustrative 
of the gentler gradations by which Nature glides from 
one type to another, is, I believe, the very rarest of 
all the Larks of the Sahara. I found it only in the 
far south, in the Wed Noa, at which place it 'was also 
obtained by Captain Loche a few months afterwards. 
Neither of us ever saw more than two or three pairs. 
The white outer tail feathers give it the appearance at 
first sight of our common Skylark, for which indeed it 
passed with my companion, who was the first to shoot 
it. Captain Loche obtained a nest of four eggs, one of 
which he kindly presented to me. As might have been 
expected, the eggs difier much from the typical charac- 
teristics of the Lark. They are very round, nine lines 
and a half by eight, of a soiled white colour, with pale 
brown blotches sparingly scattered over the surface, 
bearing a strong resemblance to small varieties of Lanius 
excuhitor, but with an ivory-polished surface.” 
It is quite clear that all the doubts raised as to the 
specific distinctness of this bird, have arisen from an 
imperfect acquaintance either with its skins or habits. 
The adult male in winter plumage (Mr. Tristram’s 
specimen is marked December, 1856,) has all the upper 
parts of the body a rich brown, of lighter and dark 
shades, variegated with greyish on the edges of the 
feathers; top of the head darker, with a greyish longi- 
tudinal band across the vertex, and a similar one mottled 
grey and black, forming a kind of collar at the nape 
and round the neck; ear coverts clear brown, with a 
light grey patch above the eyes, and laterally on each 
side of the base of the upper mandibles; primaries and 
secondaries dark brown, with light chesnut edges; two 
upper tail feathers and upper tail coverts light chesnut 
brown, darkest in the centre; the first lateral tail 
