Annals of the Transvaal Museum 
259 
and a few more. Taken as a whole, however, its shape when correlated with 
other characters is still a useful character. 
In the genus Certhilauda, Shelley [Birds of Africa, vol. iii. 1902), has 
included Heterocorys, Calendulauda and Chersomanes\ while Reichenow 
iydgel Afrikas, vol. iii.) retains in it Chersomanes, removes Heterocorys to 
a distinct genus and places Calendulauda in the synonymy of Mirafra] 
Sharpe [Hand-list of Genn. and Spp. Birds, vol. v.) includes Chersomanes 
under Certhilauda, but separates a part of Certhilauda under Alaemon. 
These differences of arrangement arise partly from a fear of creating too 
many genera and for the rest are due to a want of application to a study 
of the structural differences and the distribution of the species. This genus 
Certhilauda Swainson, type C. capensis Boddaert (correctly C. africana 
Gmelin, the name of Alauda capensis being preoccupied, as pointed out by 
Mathews and Iredale, cf. Austral. Av. Rec. iii. 47, 1915), contains besides 
the genotype the South African species suhcoronata A. Smith, hradshawi 
and damarensis Sharpe (cf. Ihis, 1904, p. 359), daviesi Gunning and Roberts 
[Ann. Transvaal Mus. ill. in, 1911) and semitorquata A. Smith. The North 
African Alaemon alaudipes is not so closely allied as to warrant its inclusion, 
the similarity of structure being obviously due to similarity of environ- 
ment; in flight Alaemon reminds one very much of the Hoopoe, and it was 
in fact originally described as a Hoopoe, the whitish bar on the wings and 
, long bill giving this impression. Chersomanes Cabanis, type C. albofasciata 
(A. Smith), belongs to an entirely distinct genus, both in regard to voice 
and structure, the only feature in common being the long hind claw and 
long bill. Three new subspecies of Chersomanes have been described since 
the publication of Stark’s Birds ofS. Africa, namely, C. albofasciata arenaria 
(Reichenow, Vog. Afr. iii. 354, 1904), C. albofasciata erikssoni (Hartert, 
Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. xix. 83, 1907) and C. albofasciata kalahariae (Ogilvie- 
Grant, Ibis, 1912, p. 375). 
Heterocorys breviunguis A. Smith, is difficult to place; it much resembles 
“ Mirafra” africana, which occurs side by side with it in the Western 
Transvaal, but is more likely to be related to Calendulauda Blyth, type 
C. albescens Lafr., which differs from both in having the frontal feathers 
impinging upon and often covering the nostrils. The only distinguishing 
character of Heterocorys that can be relied upon is the short and much 
curved hind claw. The specific name of nivosa, which is commonly applied 
to the Karroo Lark, was given to a West African bird by Swainson [W. 
Africa, i. 213, 1837), and the description agrees very well with what was 
subsequently named erythropygia by Strickland, who was responsible for 
saying that nivosa was a South African bird, on no better grounds than 
conjecture. Our bird should be known as Calendulauda albescens (Lafr.). 
Of the Tree Larks [Mir afr a) of Africa there are several distinct genera 
which have little in common. The genotype of Mir afr a is M. javanica 
(Horsf.), which is characterised by its short stout bill, the tail less than two- 
thirds of the length of the wing, and the outermost primary shorter than 
the tarsus. M. chiniana A. Smith agrees fairly well with this diagnosis 
and may for present purposes be taken to represent the genus in South 
Africa. It has the nostrils simple, opening upwards and with a compara- 
tively small superior membrane. M. fringillaris Sundevall is not far re- 
moved from chiniana] but has the outermost primary longer and should 
