86 



SHORE LARK 



in Poland, Russia, and Siberia in winter, from whence they also re- 

 tire farther north on the approach of spring; except in tlie north- 

 east parts, and near the high mountains.^ 



The length of this bird is seven inches, the extent twelve 

 inches ; the forehead, throat, sides of the neck, and line over the 

 eye is of a delicate straw or Naples yellow, elegantly relieved by a 

 bar of black, that passes from the nostril to the eye, below which it 

 falls, rounding, to the depth of three quarters of an inch; the yel- 

 low on the forehead and over the eye is bounded, within, for its 

 whole length, with black, which covers part of the crown; the 

 breast is ornamented with a broad fan-shaped patch of black ; this 

 as well as all the other spots of black are marked with minute 

 curves of yellow points; back of the neck, and towards the shoul- 

 ders a light drab tinged with lake ; lesser wing-coverts bright cin- 

 namon; greater wing-coverts the same, interiorly dusky, and tipt 

 with whitish; back and wings drab-colored, tinged with reddish^ 

 each feather of the former having a streak of dusky black down its 

 center; primaries deep dusky, tipt and edged with whitish; exte- 

 rior feathers most so ; secondaries broadly edged with light drab, 

 and scolloped at the tips; tail forked, black; the two middle fea- 

 thers, which by some have been mistaken for the coverts, are red- 

 dish drab, centered with brownish black; the two outer ones on 

 each side exteriorly edged with white; breast of a dusky vinous 

 tinge, and marked with spots or streaks of the same ; the belly and 

 vent white; sides streaked with bay; bill short (Latham, in mis- 

 take, says seven inchest), of a dusky blue color ; tongue truncate 

 and bifid; legs and claws black; hind heel very long and almost 

 straight; iris of the eye hazel. One glance at the figure on the 

 plate will give a better idea than the whole of this minute descrip- 

 tion, which, however, has been rendered necessary by the errors of 

 others. The female has little or no black on the crown; and the 

 yellow on the front is narrow, and of a dirty tinge. 



* Arct. Zool. t Syn. vol. II, p. 385. 



