760.   Pyrrhulauda grisea, Scopoli.

Alauda, apud Scopoli - Blyth, Cat. 748 - HoRSF., Cat. 724 -  P. crucigera, Temm. Pl. Col. 269-1 - Sykes, Cat. 108 - Jerdon, Cat. 194 - Alauda gingica, Gmel. - Diyoru, H. Duri, H, of some, commonly called Dabhak chari, i. e., Squat Sparrow - Jothauli, of Hindu bird-dealers (Buch. Ham.) - Chat-bharai, and Dhula chata, Beng. - Poti-pichike or Piyada pichike, Tel., i. e.. Short Sparrow or Ground Sparrow. Ortolan of some Europeans in the south, of India.

The Black-bellied Finch-lark.

Descr. - Male, above pale brownish grey, the feathers slightly centred darker, somewhat rufescent on the back ; forehead and cheeks whitish; wings and tail brown, the feathers all pale edged; and a deep brown or black band from the base of bill through the eyes, continued to the occiput ; chin and throat, sides of neck (extending at right angles behind the ear-coverts, and thus taking the form of a cross, whence Temminck's specific name), breast, and lower parts deep chocolate brown or black ; sides of breast, of abdomen, and the flanks, whitish, bordering the dark colour.

Bill pale; legs fleshy ; irides dark brown. Length about 5 inches ; extent 10 ; wing 3 ; tail nearly 2 ; bill at front not 3/8.

The female wants the black on the lower parts, the plumage is darker, and more rufescent above ; the breast faintly streaked with brown, and earthy on the flanks, sides of breast, and neck. She is a smaller bird, measuring about 4 3/4 inches.

This curious little bird is common throughout all India, from Ceylon to the foot of the Himalayas, except on the Malabar Coast, and it does not ascend the Himalayas at all. It is especially abundant in Western India, in Sindh, and the Punjab, and extends thence to Arabia. It frequents the open plains, and ploughed or fallow fields, and prefers the barest spots, and especially roads, where it may often be seen dusting itself. It is remarkable for the sudden ascents and descents of its flight, mounting up some height by a few flappings of its wings, and then descending almost perpendicularly, till it nearly reaches the ground, when, it again rises as before, and repeats this several times. In general, it takes but a short flight, and, on alighting, squats close to the ground, and will almost allow itself to be ridden over before it rises. It occasionally may be seen seated on the house-top, but I never saw it perch on a tree except on one occasion, when I observed about twelve or fifteen of them perched on a low tree close to cantonment in the hot weather. It makes its nest, from January to March, in the Deccan, later further north, on the ground in a slight hollow, with grass, thread, pieces of cloth, &c., and lays two or three eggs of a light greenish grey tint, with small brown spots, chiefly at the larger end. The young birds are plumaged like the true larks. Sundevall says that he heard it singing in the air like a lark, with expanded wings. This I have not witnessed.

It remains the whole year in India, and, in the cold season, sometimes collects in large flocks, and is then often shot for table as the ' Ortolan'. Layard says, that it visits Ceylon in flocks, in the cold weather, but does not breed there.

Several species of this genus occur in Africa, and have been figured in Dr. Smith's Zoology of South Africa.

In the next group, the wings are much lengthened, the 1st primary rudimentary, or even wanting In some. To this belongs the Calandra Larks, and Calandrella, in which the bill is still thick and short, and the plumage plain, not strongly streaked ; and, in Calandra there is a patch of black on the breast, assimilating them to the preceding birds.