THE SKY-LARK 177 



doubt that this species is of great service to the 

 agriculturist in consuming vast quantities of the 

 seeds of certain troublesome weeds, as charlock, 

 thistle, groundsel, dock, and the like. 



The Sky- Lark has the general colour of the 

 upper parts brown, streaked with darker brow^n ; 

 the eye-stripe is buffish-white ; the wings are brown 

 with buff margins ; the tail feathers are dark brown 

 with buff margins, except the outermost pair which 

 are almost uniform white, and the next pair which 

 have the outer webs only white. The general colour 

 of the under parts is buffish-white, darkest on the 

 breast which is spotted and on the flanks which are 

 streaked with dark brown. The female closely re- 

 sembles the male in colour, but the nestlings are 

 spotted on the upper parts with buff and black, and 

 the under parts are buff thickly spotted with blackish- 

 brown. The total length of the Sky- Lark is about 

 seven inches. 



