BUSH LARK. 
towards the outermost pi’imary, whicli is almost uniform blackish-grey; a broad 
brownish-wliite eyebrow; cheeks blackish, fringed with wliitish; cliin and throat 
white; chest buff, very heavily spotted with blackish-brown, especially on the 
sides ; flanks biiflf, middle of belly and under tail-coverts wliite ; outermost tail- 
feather white, penultimate pair also wliite, but with the inner web blackish; remain¬ 
der of tail brownish-blaclc, the central feathers widely bordered with light chestnut. 
Collected at Essendon, Victoria, on the 2nd of January, 1897. 
Iniinature. Hoad blackish-brown, bordered at the extremity with reddish-olive; back 
of the neck brownish-grey; mantle, rump and upper tail-coverts blackish-brown, 
widely margined all round with reddish-bufE ; wing-coverts and secondaries bronze- 
brown, w'idely margined on both webs with reddish-brown ; primaries light chestnut, 
blackish along the shaft and towards the tip ; outer tail-feathers white ; penultimate 
pair white on the outer web, blackish-brown on the inner web ; cliin and tliroat 
wliite ; chest and roraodnder of the under-parts rich buff. Collected at Derby, 
North-west Australia, on the 7th of February, 1902. 
Nesilijig, Head blackish-brown, barred with equidistant bars of olive-buff and still 
covered with filoplumes ; back of the neck brownish-grey ; mantle and wing-coverts 
brownish-ash, widely margined with bright olive-buff; feathers of the lower back 
and rump brownish-ash, widely fringed at the extremity with rich buff ; wings 
(still in quill) brownish-ash, margined on the outer and inner webs with rich reddish- 
buff ; secondaries bronze-brown widely margined with reddish-buff ; tail blackish- 
brown fringed with reddish-buff ; under-parts rich isabelline, spotted on the chest 
with brownish-black. Collected at Derby, North-west Australia, on the 7th of 
March, 1902. 
Eggs, Tliree to four eggs form the clutch, often four. A clutch of four taken at 
Belltrees, Upper Hunter River, New South Wales, on the 9th of December, 1917, 
is of a grerish-wliite ground-colour, minutely spotted all over with olive and dull 
slaty-gre}", becoming more closely set togetlier at the larger end. Ovals in shape. 
Surface of shell fine and smooth, and exceedingly glossy. 19-20 by 16 mm. 
Nest. The nest was out on an open plain. Was placed between two small bunches of 
grass and was built of the stems and blades of old dead grass and lined with fine 
grass blades. In shape the nest was hooded, with a large opening in the side. 
Dimensions : outside, by 4 by 4 in. high; inside, 2 by 2 by 2f high. Size of 
entrance, 1| wide by 2 in. high. Nest was built into a small neatly made hole in the 
ground. (Point Tonnent.) Three eggs in nest. 
Eggs, Tliree to four eggs form the clutch, four usuall3^ A clutch of four eggs taken 
at the De Grey Plains, North-western Australia, on the 13th of October, 1908, is 
of a gre^ush-white ground-colour, minutely speckled and spotted all over with olive 
and dull slaty-grey, becoming slightly more massed together at the larger end. 
Swollen ovals in shape. Surface of shell fine, smooth, and very glossy. 19-20 by 
14 mm. {woodioardi), -- 
Nest, A small, open, cup-siiaped structure, built entirely of dead grasses, and placed in a 
hole or hollow in the groimd, generally under the shelter of a tuft of grass or small 
bush. Sometimes the back of the nest is drawn forward a little, acting as a kind 
of dome or protection over the eggs. Dimensions over all, 4 to 4^ inches by to 
nearly 3 inches in depth. Inside, or egg cavity, is 2 inches across by 1^ inches 
deep. 
Nest, Of Mid-west Australian birds similar to that of Mirafra horsfieldi. 
Breeding-months, August to December, and even Februaiy or March. 
