642 Col. R. Meinertzhagen on Birds from [Ibis, 
Average per cent, 
humidity. 
Mean 
rainfall in 
inches. 
Race. 
Soil. Locality. 
(— 
Year. 
April Sf 
r —;—> 
Year. April & 
Nigricans . 
Black alluvial ... Central Egyptian 
70 
May. 
50 
1 
May. 
0-3 
Maculata . 
Delta. 
Dark alluvial, with Cairo . 
68 
49 
1 
0-2 
a percentage of Helouan . 
62 
43 
1 
0-3 
Meridionalis.. 
sand. 
Dark brown, often Crete. 
67 
63 
20 
1 
. 
red. 
Dark brown. Cyprus . 
77 
72 
15 
1 
Cinnamomina 
Reddish. Beirut . 
68 
72 
35 
3 
Brown . Haifa . 
70 
70 
24 
1 
Zion . 
Brown to pale Damascus. 
78 
67 
10 
0-5 
brown. Tiberias . 
62 
56 
17 
1 
Jerusalem. 
65 
52 
24 
2 
Brachyura ... 
Pale brown and Suez . 
55 
38 
0-6 
0-1 
sand. Gaza . 
72 
67 
16 
0-5 
El Arish . 
76 
72 
3*5 
0-5 
Port Said . 
74 
73 
1-9 
0*2 
Solium . 
76 
69 
6-0 
0*1 
From the above iable, I conclude that Crested Larks are 
influenced in the colour of their plumage by protective 
resemblance to the soil on which they live, and that neither 
humidity nor rainfall lias any effect on their plumage. 
This same influence appears to affect nearly all ground-birds 
which more or less live in the open, such as Ammomanes , 
Alcemon , GAnanihe deserti , Eremophila , Alectoris , Pterocles, 
etc. 
Finally, I would point out that three races of the Crested 
Lark ( nigricans , maculata, and bracliyura) have been living 
in confinement in the Giza Zoological Gardens near Cairo 
(where the local wild race is maculata) for many years, and 
have been subjected to identical conditions. These birds 
have moulted regularly true to their respective races, and 
have shown no inclination to change the colour of their 
plumage. 
I do not pretend in the above note to have suggested 
anything new, but when this theory is worked out in detail, 
it may help those of us who interest themselves in the 
subject of the effect of external conditions on the problems 
of evolution. 
