'9' 



The Wood-Lark 



The food of this bird is exactly similar to that of the Sky- Lark, consisting 

 chiefly of insects in summer, and seeds in winter. 



The Wood-Lark's song is ver^' pnre and melodious and b}- man}^ it is con- 

 sidered only second to that of the Nightingale, but it certaiul}' is not so full 

 of variety as the song of that bird ; nevertheless it has the merit of being 

 persevered in throughout the year, excepting during the moulting season ; it 

 is usually commenced, and sometimes completed, from the branch of a tree ; 

 but more frequently the tree only represents the point at which the flight-song 

 begins : the last time that I heard the flute-like music of this bird at liberty, I was 

 down at Dover with mj- old friend Dr. John Grayling, of Sittiugbourne ; we were 

 approaching a wood when, from a tree at the side of the road, we heard the 

 delightful song of a Wood-Lark ; looking up we soon espied him on a branch 

 and were able to identify him without difficulty by his short tail and promineut 

 eye-streak. Presently he soared awaj^ rising at first obliquely and then gradually 

 swinging round, still singing, aud rising until he had reached the height of his 

 ambition, when with wide spiral curves he descended to the earth. The Wood- 

 Lark is said sometimes to sing throughout the night, and it certainlj? does sing 

 well into the " gloaming," which has led rustics at times to confound it with the 

 Nightingale ; but, by careless observers, it is much more generally confused with 

 the Tree- Pipit. 



Although this bird sometimes soars quite as high as the Sky-Lark this is 

 not its general habit ; moreover it flies more in circles and descends to the 

 earth in a wide spiral, instead of obliquely or b}' jerky drops. 



As a cage-bird, the Wood-Lark is a great favourite, and I have possessed 

 two adult specimens. On one occasion when driving through a country 

 road in Kent, with woods on either side, a young bird was seen scampering 

 and leaping to get out of our way. The driver pulled up and succeeded in 

 catching it for me; but although it soon fed itself and to repletion, it quickly 

 got cramp and died. Later on, in June 1887, my son aud I caught sight of 

 a slightly older example of this species in a somewhat similar situation and 

 exerted ourselves to catch it, but it made for a tall hawthorn hedge, up which 

 it escaped with such rapidity, that before we could come up with it, the bird 

 was out of our reach. About September, 1894, I was beautifully taken in by an 

 unprincipled bird-catcher : he had told me of a lovely Wood-Lark which he had, 

 and which he described as singing splendidly. One dark night he knocked at my 

 front door and told me he had brought this bird, which I could have for three 

 shillings. I put my hand through the opening at the top of the cage, and took 

 the bird out ; it had a short tail, but (even in the dark) looked somewhat uncann}' ; 



