GALERIDA.
Crested Larks : feathers of crown long and pointed.
Galerida cristata cristata (L.). CRESTED LARK. Fr. Cochevis ; Ger. Haubenlerche ; Ital. Capillaccia.
9 adult. Above greyish brown, centre of feathers dark ; beneath bully white or reddish buff with dark streaks or spots on foreneck and breast ; under wing coverts and inner webs of primaries reddish, outer tail feathers brown with slight rufous tinge. Bill horn colour above, lighter below. Legs and feet straw. 1st primary 2-4 m.m. shorter than primary coverts.
Wing 105-110, 9 97-109 (H.). Tarsus 25-28. Bill Young are spotted above with small white and brownish spots.
Resident.—Europe from S. Sweden to S. France, Italy, Balkans, and S. Russia. Absent from Sardinia and Corsica. Very rare visitor to Britain.
G. cristata tenuirostris Brehm. Rather greyer than typical form. Bill very slender.
Resident.—S. Russia to Rumania.
G. cristata caucasica Taczanowski. Upper parts with very grey tinge as if powdered, especially in fresh plumage. Wing d io6-11o, 4 99-104 (H.).
Resident.—Caucasus and \V. Shore of Caspian Sea.
G. cristata meridionalis Brehm. Darker than typical form with a rufous tinge, outer webs of outer tail feathers very rufous. Resident.-13alkan Peninsula, Dalmatia, Greece, Crete.
G. cristata cypriaca Bianchi. Greyer at all seasons and less brown than typical form, spots on breast darker, bill rather longer and weaker.
Resident.—Greek Islands (Milos, Lemnos, Imbros), Cyprus.
G. cristata neumanni Hilgert. A very dark form, darker even than "meridionalis" and with rufous tail feathers. Resident.—Roman Campagna.
G. cristata pallida Brehm. Above lighter in colour, feather margins paler. Wing 2-4 m.m. shorter. and Portugal.
G. cristata kleinschmidti Erlanger. Darker above than typical form ; beneath whiter, breast more distinctly streaked ; size as "pallida." Resident.—North Morocco (Tangier).
G. cristata riggenbachi Hartert. Larger than " klein schinidti." Wing g 107-113, 9 98-102 (H.). Beneath more isabelline or buff.
Resident—Central and S.W. Morocco.
G. cristata macrorhyncha Tristram. Like • " riggenbachi " but larger, paler, more sandy. Wing g 110-116, 9 102-105 (H.).
Resident.—C. and N. Algeria south to Laghouat, Tunisia north of Atlas.
G. cristata randonii Loche. Darker than "macrorhyncha." Wing 115-117 (II.).
Resident.—Hautes Plateaux, Algeria.
G. cristata carthaginis Kleinschmidt and Hilgert. Browner than "randonii" and darker than "macrorhyncha." Smaller. Wing g 109-113 (H.).
Resident.—N. Tunisia.
G. cristata nigricans Brehm. The darkest form of " G. cristata." Upper tail coverts inclined to rufous and streaked ; underparts boldly streaked, as far as abdomen in some. Wing 102-106.
Resident—Central portions of Nile Delta (dark soil), Damietta to Cairo.
G. cristata brachyura Tristram. Greyer and more sandy than "maculata," whiter beneath and bill longer. In winter and spring much bleached, especially on lower back and rump, and almost unrecognisable as the same bird.
Resident.—Egypt (Matron Valley, Lakes of north Delta, also near Ismailia) and S. Palestine.
G. cristata maculata Brehm. Breast spotting never so dense
as in "nigricans," upper parts paler, less black in centre of feathers. Crest less black. Wing g 98-10S, 9 92-101. Bill 19-21, 9 18-20.
Resident—Outer fringe of Egyptian Delta—down Nile to Wadi Halfa.
G. cristata moeritica Nicoll and Bonhote. Lesser upper wing coverts silvery brown ; otherwise like "maculata." Resident.—Fayoum, Upper Egypt.
Galerida thekhe theklm Brehm.
d 9 Resemble "cristata," but differ in 1st primary being as long as or longer than primary coverts, secondaries being much shorter in proportion to primaries, the bill shorter and proportionately thicker, breast less reddish and with narrower and more numerous streaks, and the under wing coverts and axillaries being less red, with a distinct grey tinge. Wing 8 9 95-98. Tarsus 24-25. Bill 1I-13.
Resident.—Spain south of Murcia, S. Portugal, Balearic Islands.
G. theklaa erlangeri Hartert. A dark form with streaks on breast darker and more copious, and descending lower on breast.
Resident.—N. Morocco.
G. theklm ruficolor Whitaker. Resembles typical " thekhe" and "erlangeri" but browner, often very red, especially on under parts ; rump and upper tail coverts dull cinnamon.
and S. Morocco (Mazagan to Mhoilwa).
G. theklae harterti Erlanger. A generally dark form, almost chocolate, frequenting black soil ; occasionally barely distinguish able from "ruficolor" but rump generally less red. Wing 104-106 (H.).
Resit/mt.—N. Algeria and Tunisia to the Atlas Mountains.
G. theklnv superfiva Hartert. A sandy grey form, varying to rufous, with breast streaks brown, not black ; not unlike "G. c. macrorhyncha" but with characteristic grey tinge of "theklx" group on under wing coverts and axillaries. Wing to8-1 to.
Resident.—Algeria and Tunisia from south spurs of Atlas to Sahara.
G. thekla3 deichleri Erlanger. A very pale isabclline form of "G. t. superllua," paler than "carolinx," whiter beneath than "harterti " ; occasionally resembles "G. c. macrorhyncha" but distinguishable by characteristics of "thekke" group. Wing 97-102 (II.).
Resident.— Sandy deserts of S. Algeria south to about 32', and S. Tunisia.
G. thek1ur hilgerti Rothschild and Hartert. Upper surface pale sandy or greyish brown, very rarely varying to rufous as often as in "superflua." Wing , 104-108 (H.).
Resident.—C. Algeria, south slopes of Atlas. In like districts in Tunisia represented by "superflua," and further south as far as Ngoussa by " deichleri." G. theklae earolime Erlanger. A very red and more cinnamon form of "superflua" but varying to grey, especially in the Sahara, where the grey form is said by Hartert to predominate.
Resident.—Stony Sahara of Tripoli, S. Tunisia, and S. Algeria between Laghouat and Ghardaia south to about 32°.
G. theklm cyrenaicse Whitaker. Mealy grey above as if powdered (Whitaker).
Resident.—Cyrenaica, and Sollum in Egypt.