632 
ALAUDA GULGrLA. 
Mr. A. Anderson are paler above and beneath than mj birds, and the hind claws are longer than in most Ceylonese 
specimens. I notice particularly the absence of nifous tinting on the breast-feathers. The wings in two skins 
measure 3‘6 and 3'7. 
Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser, in their article on the European Sky-Lark (A. arvensis), look upon the Indian form as a 
diminutive of that bii-d, having the tail-feathers more pointed and the outer pair more tinged wdth isabelline 
rufous. In addition to this it must be noted that A. arvemis is not so rufous on the under wing, and the 4th 
primary is considerably shorter than the 3rd, w'hereas in the Indian bird it is only slightly so. 
Distribution . — The Indian Sky-Lark is a resident in the northern half, east, and south-east of the island, 
as well as in the eastern parts of the Kandyan Province, and a north-east monsoon visitant to the western and 
south-western portion of the country between Colombo and Hambantota. It is found throughout the year as 
far down the west coast as Chilaw; and from that district to the Jaffna peninsula it is very common, inhabiting 
the islands of Karativoe, Manaar, and all those in PalFs Straits. As regards the east of the island, it is most 
numerous round the south-east coast. At Colombo it makes its appearance after the rains in October, and 
does not quit the district until May, on the 5th of which month I have even seen it at Galle. It is not 
unfrequent on most of the patnas of Uva throughout the year, the highest point at which I have seen it being 
Carey’s Gap, 5200 feet. 
On the mainland this Lark is diffused throughout India from the extreme south to the Himalayas, 
extending on the one side westwards into Sindh and on the other into the countries eastward of the Bay of 
Bengal as far south as Moulmein, being confined to the neighbourhood of that town and" the tract between 
the Sittang and Salween rivers. In the south it is found abundantly on the Nilghiris, and from Ootacamund 
came the type of Mr. Brooks’s A. australis. Miss Cockburn found it breeding on this range of hills, and 
Mr. Wait likewise at Conoor. It has not been recorded from the Travancore hills or from the Palanis by 
either of the oft-quoted writers in ' Stray Feathers ;’ but it may possibly occur in them, particularly on the 
grassy slopes of the latter. It is not mentioned either from the Deccan by Dr. Fairbank ; but Messrs. Davidson 
and Wender say that it is not uncommon in Satara. In the Mount-Aboo district Captain Butler says it is 
not very plentiful, and he does not note it from the mount itself. It occurs in all the surrounding region, 
though it is not common in Sindh. It was procured in that province by Messrs. James and Blanford. It 
extends from this section of country up into Cashmere and along the Himalayas, in many of the tracts at 
the foot of which monntains, such as Kumaoii, it is common. In the North-west Provinces and in Bengal it 
is as much at home as anywLere else in India; but in Chota Nagpur does not seem to be well distributed, 
as I find that Mr. Brooks only procured it at Assensole. Mr. Ball notes it in his list of birds from the 
Godaveri and Ganges region, from Bardwau, Sirguja, Jashpur, Udaipur, and Bilaspur. Eastwards 
Dr. Armstrong found it evenly distributed in the Irrawaddy delta ; and in Burmah Mr. Oates notes it as a 
visitant; further south it extends, as above remarked, as far as Moulmein. 
Habits . — This songster frequents the same situations as its European congener — pasture-land, stubble- 
fields, bare commons, and so forth. It is, however, with us particularly noticeable on the rich pastures 
surrounding the great inland tanks of the northern half of the island. No meadows in old England in the 
merry month of May sound more pleasantly with the sweet song of Larks than do these lovely spots in 
Ceylon, surrounding the lasting monuments of the might of its ancient kings ! These verdant lands remind 
the sojourner in tropical Ceylon of home ; the long meadow-like grass, the browsing hundreds of cattle 
driven down by the Kandyans to fatten, and the air filled with the song of the Sky-Lark recall pleasant 
memories ; but let the wanderer awake from his reverie and only cast his eye around on the boundless circle 
of dark forest, and the broad, wooded lake, its surface broken here by the head of a stealthy crocodile and 
there by the stately form of a huge Pelican slowly floating along its glassy waters, and the vision of green 
English meadows is quickly dispelled. A more peaceful existence obtains for the Sky-Lark in Ceylon than 
in India ; in the latter country, when “ flocked ” in the cold season, it is caught in great numbers for the 
table, and is sold in Calcutta, in common with various Pipits, as “ Ortolan.” Its home in Ceylon, however, 
is in the woods and plains far away from the epicurean wants of large towns ; and were it ever found in 
abundance near Colombo, the Buddhists of Ceylon are so averse to bird killing, that I do not think the Lark 
would have many enemies to fear. 
