70 BIRDS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 



which is thickly spotted with long, blackish brown marks ; 

 under the eye is a white line ; the breast is whitish grey ; 

 the belly grey, with a slight greenish tinge ; the under tail 

 coverts and the outer feathers of the tail itself are white ; 

 the bill is horn-colour, but there is a yellowish spot about 

 the middle of the lower mandible ; the legs and feet are 

 greyish tlesh colour : the hind toe is armed with a long 

 nail or spur. 



The skylark does not perch on branches of trees, though 

 it will on a gate or the top of a hedge ; its favourite 

 resting-place, however, is a clod of earth or a clump of 

 coarse grass. 



The female closely resembles the male in outward ap- 

 pearance, but, as a rule, is- more spotted on the breast, and 

 greyer on the back. The 3'oung are of a lighter colour 

 than either parent. 



The nest is made of grass, and lined with finer portions 

 of tlie same ; it is placed on the ground among long grass 

 or corn, and many nests are destroyed yearly by the 

 mowing machines when the grass is cut for hay. The eggs 

 are four or five in number, and differ greatly in appearance ; 

 the general colour is whitish grey, spotted and streaked 

 with darker gre}' or brown. 



The song of the skylark, wliich is seldom uttered from 

 the ground, but almost invariably from mid-air, is well 

 known as one of the harmonies of Nature, and it is sad to 

 think that so perfect a performer should be growing .scarce 

 in consequence of the demand for it by a certain class of 

 people, who ought to know better, as a delicacy (?) for the 

 table, apropos of which it may be mentioned that al- 

 though a cat will readily kill a lark if she can, she will 

 rarely eat it, but, if she should do so, it will make her 

 violently sick in a few minutes afterwards. 



The food consists in about equal parts of grass seeds, 



