THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 149 



aerial flights are not as frequent or as high 

 as the other Larks, nor is soaring one of its 

 characteristics. 



Gates has dismissed this bird with the 

 remark that it has a poor song, though in 

 one place he says ''I do not remember to 

 have heard it sing." Indians, however, find 

 some charm in its notes and do not discard it 

 as unworthy of attention, Blyth says "it 

 ventures short snatches of sono;." 



All the Larks described above are, more 

 or less, addicted to the same sort of food. 

 They seem to be omnivorous, consuming 

 small insects, herbage, and seeds. The staple 

 food appears to be the seeds of various 

 weeds. The seed is swallowed whole, the 

 husk beino^ broken in the ojizzard. Earth- 

 worms and insects are eaten, the young 

 being fed on small moths, small grubs, and 

 caterpillars. In winter, when the Larks 

 congregate in flocks, they may do some 

 amount of damage to sprouting corn. But 

 they undoubtedly consume an enormous 

 quantity of pernicious weeds and injurious 



