354 WESTERN SHORE LARK. 



in all its habits, its manner of flight, &c. it resembles the Alpestris. It 

 differs, however, materially from the latter, by its smaller size, and by 

 having the whole of its tail feathers of the same dark colour, unlike, in that 

 particular, its relative, which has the two middle ones of the same light 

 colour as the coverts of that part. 



Western Shore Lark, Alauda rufa, Lath. 



Alauda flava, Gmel. 



La Ceinture de Pretre, Petite aloutte de Buenos Ayres, Buffon, PI. Enl. 650, fig. 2. 



Western States, and generally distributed. 



Male with two erectile pointed tufts of feathers on the anterior lateral 

 parts of the head. Upper parts dusky-brown, the feathers paler on the 

 edges; on the forehead a recurved crescentic band of black; another curved 

 downwards, proceeding on its side from the base of the upper mandible; a 

 band of white on the eye; throat pale yellow, with a broad black patch on 

 the lower neck, the rest of the lower parts brownish-white; quills dusky, tail 

 feathers blackish. 



Total length about 5|- inches; wing from flexure 4. Second quill longest. 

 Bill along the ridge -|, along the edge ^; tarsus f ; middle toe ^, its claw i; 

 hind toe i, its claw f-. Bill, feet and claws, black, irides hazel. 



The female is somewhat smaller, but is marked as in the male. The 

 lateral tail feathers of the latter are edged outwardly with dull white. 



The eggs, four or five in number, measure ^ of an inch in length by •§ in 

 breadth. The ground colour is light blue, freckled all over with light umber 

 spots, so thickly concentrated towards the larger end as entirely to conceal 

 the general colour. 



