I have given six figures of this beautiful Lark in different stages. The
male birds, which, during the love season, have the black tufts of feathers
on their head, as represented in the plate, nearly lose them at the approach
of winter, when the brightness of their whole summer plumage is also
much diminished.
Alauda alpestkis, Linn. Sjst. Nat. vol. i. p. 289 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 498. Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 102.
Shore Lark, Wils. Americ. Ornith. vol. i. p. 85, fig. 4. Female.
Horned or Shore Lark, Alatjda cornuta. Swains, and Richards. Fauna Bor. Americ. vol. i. p. 245.
Adult Male. Plate CC Fig. 1 and 3.
Bill rather short, somewhat conical, compressed, acute, straightish, en- tire ; upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly arched, the edges in- flected and sharp, the point acute ; lower mandible straight, with inflected edges and acute tip ; nostrils basal, oval, with an arched membrane, and covered by the frontal feathers. Head rather large, neck short, body oval. Legs of ordinary length ; tarsus longer than the middle toe, anteriorly scutellate, acute behind ; lateral toes nearly equal, the outer united to the middle one at the base ; hind toe of moderate size ; claws longish, slightly arched, that of the hind toe very long, tapering, acute, and nearly straight.
Plumage rather dense and compact. Wings of moderate length ; the second and third primaries longest, first and fourth nearly equal ; second- aries emarginate ; scapulars elongated. Tail emarginate, straight, of twelve feathers. The principal peculiarity in the plumage consists of two erectile pointed tufts of feathers on the anterior and lateral parts of the head, which give the bird, viewed from before, a very remarkable appear- ance, somewhat resembling that of an owl.
The colours of the male in its winter plumage, are as follows, Beak blue at the base, blackish at the point. Iris chestnut-brown. Feet and claws greyish-black. The general colour of the upper parts is a dusky-brown, the feathers paler on the edges. On the forehead is a recurved crescentic band of brownish-black, forming the erectile tufts; another curved downwards, proceeds on each side from the base of the upper mandibles ; while a band of yellowish white runs over the eyes and forehead. Throat pale yellow, with a broad patch of a dusky tint on the lower neck anteriorly ; the rest of the under parts brownish-white. The quills
