Stray Feathers/Volume 1/December 1873/Notes on the Skylarks of India
Notes on the Skylarks of India. By W. E. Brooks, Esq., C. E., Dinapore.
MR. HUME's paper on the Skylarks of India (Stray Feathers, p. 38), and Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser's article in the Birds of Europe, on Alauda arvensis, lead me to make a few remarks.
I differ from Mr. Hume as to the number of good species in India, and instead of two, I would recognize five, viz.: Hodgson. ALAUDA DULCI Vox. A. triborhyncha. Hodgson. 1.
A. arvensis. 2. ALAUDA GUTTATA. 3. ALAUDA GULGULA. Brooks. Franklin. A. triborhyncha. Hodgson. A. leiopus vel, orientalis. A. cochion. Swinhoe. 4. ALAUDA MALABARICA, Scopoli. 5.
ALAUDA AUSTRALIS. Brooks, n. sp. 4. gulgula. Franklin.
Erroneous synonyms are distinguished from true synonyms by an asterisk.
1. ALAUDA DULCIVOX, Hodgson, is the only Indian Skylark, having a general resemblance to the European Alanda arvensis, and which has therefore been erroneously identified with it by Messrs. Hume, Sharpe, and Dresser. By Dr. Jerdou, it is errneously identified with dlanda triborhyncha, Hodgson; which latter, I may observe, is a sparions species, and identical with Alanda gulyula, Franklin.
There are several marked points of difference between Alauda dulcivor and A. arcensis, which should be noted. 1. Alauda dulciro has a longer wing. 2. Much purer white on the abdomen. 3. Much less rufous in general tone of plumage, and particularly so with regard to the rafons edgings of wing coverts.
- According to my present view there must be either two, or eight species.
Specimens, I am thankful to record have been coming in from all quarters, and the more I examine, the more convinced I am, that although the local races are very numerous, (I already reckon cight), there are anly two distinct species, all the races of each of which inosculate and run one into the other, so that, lay down what diagnosis you may, you will always find specimens which may be equally correctly assigned to either of two races.-E., STRAY FEATHERS. It is a painful fact illustrative of the wrong-headed obstinacy of some people, that Messrs. Sharpe, Dresser, and Hune persist in retaining this erroneous opinion and this too, (it is really too bad of them,) after Mr. Brooks has deli- berately decided that they are quite wrong! wretched mortals, what will happen. to them?-ED,, STRAY FEATHERS. 4. A shorter, darker, and stouter bill, and not so pointed as in the European bird. 5. Darket legs and feet. 6. Purer white ou outer tail feathers. 7. The cold grey tone of the upper plumage, with strongly contrasting dark central streaks. 8. Being morticolous or more properly alpine during the sumuner season, in which respect it is totally opposed to its European representative which avoids mountainous countries, and specially affects low lands.
The identification of this well marked Alpine lark with A. arvensis would only be excusable* in the absence of specimens of the latter for comparison. 2. ALAUDA GUTTATA,† Brooks, our second Indian Skylark is the species described by me in J. A. S., Vol. XLI., part II., 1873, p. 78. It is closely allied to d. gulgula, Franklin, but the differences between it and d. gulgula have been already pointed out in the original description. I still believe it to be a good species, and none of the examples of d. galgala, obtained out of Cashmere by me, accord with it.
3. ALAUDA, GULGULA, Franklin, our third species, is the com- mon skylark of the N. W. Provinces, and breeds over a tract of country extending from Cawupore to Almorah. The range within which it breeds is probably more extended, but I speak only of what I have observed myself. Hodgson's drawings and descriptions of 4. triborhyncha and d. leiopus vel. orientalis, ap- peared to me to be identical with a gulgula. The Rev. Dr: Tristram, after comparing examples of galgule which I had sent with the types sent home by Mr. Hodgson, also independently, came to the same conclusion.
I think Mr. Hune may have been wrong in identifying Hodgson's d. leiopus with the lark of the high Himalayan platean," the dimensions of which agree with those of the Cashmere lark (d. guttata) which I found in small numbers at Gulmurg, but very plentiful in the Cashmere valley.
- Unfortunately those hardened sinners Messrs. Sharpe, Dresser, and Hnne
have not even this exense. The fact is that the larger the series of Europeat and Asiatic larks that are compared. the more certain it becomes that not one of the distinctions insisted upon by Mr. Brooks hold constantly gooil.-ED., STBAY FEATHERS. †This is the race which 1 lave figured in Lahore to Yarkand (pl. XXVIII.,) as 1. triborhgacha; I do not now helieve in the specific separability of thems vacions races. ED., STRAY FEATHERS. 4. ALAUDA MALABARICA is our fourth lark, and is the Western Indian species. It can at any time be readily distinguished by its long pointed crest (resembling that of Galerida cristata), and by its generally infous tone of plumage.
5. ALAUDA AUSTRALIS, 1. sp, is the skylark of the hill region of Southern India, distinct from d. malabarica by the absence of the pointed crest. It is founded upon a single specimen in the Indian Museum, labelled "Alauda gulgula, Franklin, male, Ootacamnud. W. T. B., donor." On the back of this label wrote in pencil. This bird is distinct from A. gulgula of the N. W. P. and Bengal, 18th December, 1872." Description. Length of skin, 65; wing, 3.84; tail, 2-4; bill. at front, ; from gape, 77; tarsus 1·03; hind toe and claw, 1.17; claw only, '65. This is a large rufous lark, far more rufous both above and below than A. gulgula of the N. W. Provinces, and very strongly rufous on the outer edges of the secondaries; greater wing coverts marked with rufous, and having outer pale edges, the lesser wing coverts are also strongly marked with rufous with extreme outer edges of grey, the first or basal portion of the feather being dark brown; upper surface, warni rufous, streaked with a very dark rich brown; part of upper surface of central tail feathers and upper tail coverts, very ruddy, greater portion of orter tail feathers, white; having an interual edge of brown (on inner web); penultimate feathers, fulvous white on onter web, with a narrow dark streak next the shaft; except the apical portion, the shafts of both these feathers are white; central feathers, broadly edged with rufous; lower surface of body fulvous or warm toned; breast, rather sparingly streaked, but very boldly so, with dark brown; abdomen and rest of lower parts, plain fulvous; checks and car coverts, rather rufous, and slightly speckled with brown; throat, plain fulvous; lining of wing, pale rufous; bill, horny brown, paler towards edges; and lower man- dible, pale reddish brown, except the tip which is dark. The absence of the pointed crest readily distinguishes this species from d.malabarica; and its large size and generally very rufous tone, separate it at a glance from 1. gulgula. The last species, it will be
- If this is Scopoli's, Alarda malabarica, then this is nothing but Spizalanda
deva, Sykes, and must now stand as Spizalauda malabarica Scop. If, how ever, it is the true skylark, which Jerdon, I, and others have wrongly called malabarica, Scop., then it is identical with Mr. Brooks' d. australis, which is the only skylark of the Nilgiris, and Malabar Const. Although Jerdon and others used the name under a mistake, still as Scopolis's name goes into another genus, this bird must stand as Alauda malabarica, Jerd. nec Scop. Spizalandu dena, Sykes, again must not be confounded with S. similime, nobis, of Upper and Central India. ED., STRAY FEATHERS. Page:Stray feathers. Journal of ornithology for India and its dependencies (IA strayfeathersjou11873hume).pdf/515