THE LARKS 



With the larks we again come to a group of 

 birds containing singers of surpassing excellence. 

 The homogeneity of this family is strongly asserted 

 by the universal character of the scutellated hind 

 tarsus, a peculiarity which divides off the Larks 

 from the other Passeres. Tested by the character 

 of the nestling plumage the Larks are apparently an 

 inferior group to the Pipits, for the young are pro- 

 fusely spotted; but as singing birds their superiority 

 is enormously greater. There are upwards of seventy 

 species of Larks, according to the latest author- 

 ities, and about half as many again of local forms, 

 or climatic races. The Larks are essentially an Old 

 World group, and most abundantly distributed over 

 Europe, Asia and Africa. One species is found in 

 Australia, another in South America, and another 

 (with several allied races) in North America. The 

 typical Larks are all birds of sober plumage, but 



some of the Horned Larks are a little more showy 

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