62 THE SMALLEn BniTL^ll BIRDS. 



to be a not uncommon bird in almost every part of the continent, 

 extending as far northward as Siberia, and to be known in Asia Minor, 

 as well as in Egypt, and other of the northern parts of Africa. 



It migrates south and north according to the seasons, and lives upon 

 insects, worms, and occasionally grain. It builds its nest upon the 

 ground loosely, like the Sky Lark, and generally sits upon four or five 

 eggs of a light grey colour, spotted with brown of different shades. 



Its song, which is continued till the month of September, is sweet 

 and agreeable, but has little power. This bird is not so entirely a 

 ground builder as most Larks, its nest having been found in Germany 

 on clay walls and thatched roofs, but it is nearly always in more lowly 

 situations. The bird frequents chiefly thickets and bushes on or near 

 cultivated ground, wood paths, and the neighbourhood of retired 

 villages; insects, small seeds of various kinds, and sometimes grain, 

 constitute its principal food in a wild state. 



