File:The birds of Africa, comprising all the species which occur in the Ethiopian region (1896) (14775138423).jpg

Identifier: birdsofafricacom03shel (find matches)
Title: The birds of Africa, comprising all the species which occur in the Ethiopian region
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Shelley, G. E. (George Ernest), 1840-1910 Sclater, W. L. (William Lutley), 1863-1944 Grönvold, Henrik, 1858-1940
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: London, Published for the author by R.H. Porter (18 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W.)
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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nd the general colouring of the throat and body white.Cape Town (Butler). Type of Alauda lagepa (Smith). Apparently just passed out of the winterdress and nearly attained the full summer plumage. Immature. Differs from adults in the general tone of the colouring beingearthy brown ; all the feathers of the crown and some on the mantle havewhite marginal tips ; crop mostly brown owing to the profusion of largerounded central spots to the feathers. The Cape White-breasted Sabota-Lark is apparently con-fined to western South Africa, south of the Orange river. It is represented in the British Museum by specimens fromLittle Namaqualand, Cape Town, Swellendam, Berg river andthe Karroo. Andersson observed this species pretty fre-quently in Little Namaqualand, but not to the north of theOrange rivei. Sir Andrew Smith found them sparingly dis-tributed in Cape Colony, frequenting localities thinly furnishedwith low brushwood, and they rarely failed when disturbed to <U <o g 5w XH •^^sa^-
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> CM •on MIRAFRA GILLETTI. 35 fly to a distance and then perch upon the summit of some dwarfshrub. He also remarks that it whistles occasionally in themorning, soars like a true Lark, and on descending usuallyalights on a skrub. Its food consists of seeds and small insects. The most eastern locality I can find for the species isBeaufort, where it has been met with by Mr. Layard. Hewrites :— A single nest fell under our observation in December.The eggs, four in number, and of a mottled brown, weredeposited in a cup-shaped nest on the side of a low bush atthe edge of a footpath. When we approached it the birdcrept away to a little distance, then rose, flew a few yards,and perched on an ant-heap to watch us. As we were pro-ceeding to kill a Hijsena, which had been caught in one of ourtraps, we deferred taking the eggs until our return; butcoming home by a different route, we had to leave them tillnext morning, when on proceeding to the spot we found theyoung excluded. The hen bird

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