1 86 The Sky-Lakk 



runuer," an elongated cage about two feet in length, by nine inches high, wired 

 in front only. In one corner I fixed a Sedge-Warbler's nest, put ui}' birds in cue 

 ]jy one, keeping my hand over to prevent their jumping out until all were inside, 

 when I covered them with a warm flannel. When they began to get hungry off 

 went the blanket and the whole family tumbled out of bed and stood in a row in 

 front of the door shouting — lec-it, tcc-u, tic-ii ; and after their meal they raced up 

 and down their cage until wear}-, and tlien tumbled back into bed and I covered 

 them up again. They seemed strong and sound, but one by one the}' got cramp 

 and died until I had lost them all. 



I subsequentl}' purchased a 3'oung male and an old female and at first kept 

 them together, but finding that they did not get on well together I separated 

 them, keeping the male bird in an ordinary- Lark-cage and the female in an aviary 

 where she contented herself with running backwards and forwards continually over 

 about a foot of ground, never fl\ing, excepting when startled, when she flew up 

 recklessly and fell back regardless of consecjuences to the detriment of her plumage. 

 The male turned out a good singer and was so tame that he used to peck and 

 pull at my finger when I put it through the wires ; he was also very intelligent 

 and would claw the wires and look round at a bottle containing watercress, of 

 which he was very fond, evidently asking me to give him some. 



In July, 1 88 7, I obtained two nestling Sky-Larks and brought them up upon 

 my Nightingale food, and in October they both began to sing, but one of them 

 died the following year ; the other made a grand singer, and used to introduce 

 the song of the Persian Bulbul into the middle of its performance : it lived for 

 several years. 



In May, 1888, I took a nest of three young Larks when they were only six 

 days old (I first saw them as eggs) and was obliged to take them when I did, as 

 I was then returning home. Although they all had a touch of cramp, I success- 

 fully reared them, but during their autumn moult two of them died ; the third, 

 which was a wonderfully tame little bird, I turned loose in an aviary where it was 

 quite happy ; it used to strut about in a consequential manner with its crest up, 

 and although it was a small bird it sang so well that I felt certain it must be a 

 cock and never examined it ; eventually it settled the point by laying an egg. 

 This bird was very fond of perching upon a branch with the long hind toe and 

 claw hanging straight down over the back of it, but it always roosted on the earth 

 after the manner of its species.* 



Judging by mj^ own experience of rearing Sky-Larks I am inclined to think 

 that a turf in the cage, with a hole cut in it, and a Whitethroat's nest fixed 



* Haud-reared hen Sky-I.arks ofleu sing, but I never knew a wild cau>;lit hen to do so. 



