220 A HAND-BOOK OF THE MANAGEMENT OF ANIMALS 



the forehead and sides marked with faint and narrow black lines ; back 

 fulvous-brown, and mottled; the rump and upper tail-covert bright 

 brown with longitudinal faint black lines ; wings rufous-brown, washed 

 with greenish; the terminal portion of the quills dark brown; total 

 length of the bird is about 6 inches ; the female is somewhat smaller, and 

 differs from the male in having no brown on the back and rump ; the 

 prevailing colour being a subdued greenish grey, mottled with dark stripes 

 in the feathers. 



Hab. — Common in Central Europe, from which it extends northward 

 to Lapland and eastward to Siberia, becoming scarcer in Southern 

 Europe. 



(85) THE SKYLAEK. 



(ALAUDA AEVENSIS— {Linn.) ) 



Hindi and Bengali — Bharat or Bharat Pakshi. 



Description. — Sandy brown above with little deep brown markings 

 to the feathers ; the crown of the head slightly crested ; feathers of the 

 crest rounded ; quills dark brown, edged narrowly with sandy brown ; 

 cheeks buffy- white, with minute deep brown spots; throat and chest 

 brownish- white, marked with small brown specks ; abdomen creamy white, 

 so also the under surface of the tail ; total length of the bird about 7J 

 inches. The colour of its plumage varies much according to the season of 

 the year ; besides, there are several well-known forms of the common 

 skylark, such as white, black and cream-coloured specimens. 



Hab. — In India the skylark is found in the Himalayas, where it 

 breeds at elevations from 8,000 to 10,000 feet, and its nests have also 

 been found in Kooloo and Kashmir; also found in Ceylon, North 

 China, Siberia, Palestine, Egypt, Northern Africa, British Islands and 

 Europe generally. The specimens exhibited in this garden were from 

 the British Islands. 



(86) THE WOODLABK 

 (ALAUDA AEBOREA— (Linn.) ) 



Description. — Smaller than the preceding, and lighter in colour; 

 a yellowish-white broad stripe commencing from behind each nostril 

 passes behind to the nape, then passing downwards and forwards joins 

 the white of the upper breast, thus enclosing an irregular triangular 

 space at the side of the head including the eye ; under parts yellowish 

 white ; sides of chin, throat, and breast spotted with dark brown ; flanks 

 striped ; quills dark brown, edged with whitish ; secondaries tipped and 

 edged with dull rufous ; tail dark brown ; the outer feather on each side 

 tipped and the outer web bordered white ; the total length is about 5*5 

 inches. 



Hab. — Central and Southern Europe, extending eastward as far as 

 the Ural Mountains ; is always present in England, though rarer in some 

 parts than in others. 



Observations. — These birds (Nos. 78 to 86) were, with the exception 

 of the canary finch, imported from England, and they differed somewhat 



