elongated spots of dark brown on the breast; legs, toes, and
claws, light brown ; the hind claw straight, and half as long
again as the hind toe.
The whole length of a male bird rather more than six
inches. From the carpal joint to the end of the wing three
inches and three-eighths: the first feather very short; the
second not quite so long as the third, which is the longest in
the wing; the fourth and fifth nearly as long as the second.
The female is rather smaller than the male, and has the
spots on the breast more numerous.
INSESSORES.
CONIROSTRES.
ALAUDIDJR.
SHORT-TOED LARK.
Alauda brachydactyla, Short-toed Lark, G ould, Birds of Europe, pt. xv.
,, ,, Alouette a doights courts, T emm. Man. d’Ornith. vol. i. p.
284, and vol. iii. p. 205.
At the end of October 1841, I received a letter from Mr.
H. Shaw, of Shrewsbury, informing me that an example of the
Short-toed Lark had been caught in a net near that town on
the 25th of that month; and shortly afterwards Mr. Shaw
very obligingly sent the specimen up to me for my examination.
This species having some resemblance to our Woodlark,
is yet immediately to be distinguished from it by its stouter
beak; its nearly plain unspotted breast, and its very short
hind toes and claws, from which latter peculiarities it has received
its name. I am not aware that any other example of
this species has been obtained in this country.
VOL. I. 2 E 3