The Black-bellied Finch-Lark.
Male. - Forehead and cheeks white, or fulvous white; crown of the head back, scapulars, rump and upper tail coverts grey brown, with a slight tinge of rufescent on the back, the feathers centred dusky; cheeks whitish; primaries, secondaries and wing coverts brown, the feathers edged paler; chin, throat, breast, sides of the neck and entire lower surface black; the flanks, sides of breast and abdomen greyish white. Bill pale brown; legs fleshy ; irides dark brown.
Length. - 4.75 to 5 inches; wing 3 ; tail 2 ; bill at front 0.37. The Female is readily distinguishable by the absence of the black under surface and a more rufescent tinge on the upper.
Hab. - Sind, Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Oudh, Bengal, Kutch, Kattiawar, Rajputana (Jeypore and Jodhpore), N. Guzerat, Concan, Deccan, Central and South India. Affects open plains and ploughed lands. Breeds all over the plains of India from January to August - the first brood being hatched in February and March and the second in July and August. Eggs have also been taken in April and May. The nest is always on the ground, and placed in some small depression on open fallow plains. The eggs are moderately elongated ovals, having a greenish or greyish white ground, densely mottled, speckled and spotted, or finely streaked with various shades of yellowish and earthy brown. Hume adds that with the exception of the eggs of Alauda raytal, these are the smallest of all our Indian Lark's eggs, 0.65 - 0.8 X 0.5 - 0.62.
