Alauda. BIRDS. PASSERES. 79 



Gen. XL. ALAUDA. Lark. — Bill conico-subulate. Pa- 

 late plain. Hind claw produced. 



86. A. arvensis. Field-Lark. — Plumage reddish-brown 



above, yellowish-white, with dusky streaks beneath. Hind-claw 



nearly straight, and longer than the toe. 



A. vulgaris, Will. Orn.149. Sibb. Scot. 17 — A. ar. Linn. Svst. i. 287. 

 Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 353. Temm. Orn. i. 281 — E, Skye-Laik ; S, La- 

 verock ; W, Hedydd, Uchedydd ; G, Uiseag — A common resident. 



Length 7, breadth 12 inches ; weight an ounce and a half. Bill dusky, the 

 base of the lower mandible yellowish. Legs and claws dusky. Hindhead 

 tinged with cinereous. Quills brown, with pale tips and edges. Tail brown ; 

 the two middle feathers darkest ; the outer feather white on the outer web 

 and tip of the inner ; the second white on the outer web only. The female 

 resembles the male. Pair in April. Nest on the ground, of dry stalks, lined 

 with fine roots of grass. Eggs 4, dirty white, spotted with brown — The lark 

 abounds in open cultivated situations. Is esteemed for its song, and as a deli- 

 cacy for the table. Congregates in wandering docks during the winter. 



87. A. rubra, Red Lark. — Plumage above rufous-brown, 

 beneath reddish-white. Hind-claw curved, and of the length 

 of the toe. 



Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 359. Turton's Gm. Syst. i. 482 — In England, rare. 

 Size same as the preceding. Bill dusky above, whitish beneath ; legs pale 

 brown. A white line above and below the eye. Chin and throat white. Back 

 with black, and breast with dusky spots. Middle feather of the tail black, edo-ed 

 with brown, the two exterior white — This species was first detected, near 

 London, 

 in his 

 taken 



length. He says, in the Supplement, "The size, the bill, legs, and the hind- 

 claw, bespeak the species ; especially the great length of the tail in propor- 

 tion to the wings, which, when closed, do not reach within two inches of the 

 end." 



88. A. arbor ea, Wood-Lark. — A white band from the bill 

 over the eyes, surrounding the crown of the head. 



Will. Orn. 149. Sibb. Scot. 17- Linn. Svst. i. 287. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 



35C. Temm. Orn. i. 283 — W, Hedydd-y-coed ; G, Riabhag-choille 



In the neighbourhood of woods. 



Length Ci, breadth 12| inches ; weight about an ounce. Bill duskv, whit- 

 ish at the base of the lower mandibla. Irides hazel. Legs yellow. Plumage 

 above, brownish-black, with pale edges; cheeks yellowish-white; beneath 

 pale yellowish-white, with dusky longitudinal streaks. Quills dusky, edged 

 with brown ; the coverts tipped with white. The two middle tail-feathers 

 brown, the next dusky, and the four exterior ones black. The female wants 

 the tinge of yellow beneath, and the white band of the head is obscure. Pair 

 in March. Nest on the ground, of coarse grass, lined with finer fibres, with 

 sometimes a few long hairs. Eggs 4, wood-brown, with blotches of gre} r and 

 brown. — This species lives in families during the winter. Chiefly sings in the 

 air, flying in large irregular circles, or when perched on the top of a tree. 

 Sings sometimes late in the evening, and has been mistaken for the nightin- 

 gale. 



