The Wood Larh. 7 



by a little bit of skin. The poor bird seemed relieved by the 

 operation, he said, and ate some bread crumbs and drank some 

 water as soon as he let it out of his hand ; but next morning 

 we found it dead: possibly from the effects of the injury it 

 had sustained, possibly from not having been supplied with 

 appropriate food, for L' Alouette des hois, die Waldlerche, as 

 the French and Germans respectively, call the Wood Lark, is, 

 in a great measure, an insectivorous bird. 



It is about a third smaller than its relative the Sky Lark, 

 which, however, it much resembles in appearance and gait. 

 The top of the head is reddish brown, with four dark lines 

 upon it; the bird has the power of raising the long head 

 feathers into a crest, which is surrounded by a greyish white 

 line, that extends from eye to eye. The female is much lighter 

 in colour than her mate, and her breast more spotted, while 

 her crest is more prominent, and the line round the cheeks 

 more distinct than in his case; so that she is altogether a 

 handsomer bird. 



When wild the Wood Lark subsists almost entirely on insects, 

 except during the winter, when it swallows blades of grass 

 or corn, and such seeds as it may find lying about, together 

 with small snails and the eggs of moths: in the house it had 

 better be fed on a mixture of bread-crumbs, grated carrot, 

 hard-boiled e^^, the yolk only, and minced meat, such as 

 veal, and soaked poppy or maw seed: in addition to which 

 it must be supplied with young mealworms, black beetles, and 

 gentles in the pupsB stage, or ants' eggs, that is to say the 

 larvae of the wood ant in their cocoons. 



With every care, however, these beautiful birds do not 

 generally live long in the house, though they become very 

 tame, and apparently much attached to the person who feeds 

 them. Sometimes, however, they live very well in captivity, 

 as Bechstcin relates: "I once saw two AYood Larks that had 

 been kept in a cage for eight years, very healthy and gay, 

 with their feet quite free from disease, and singing perfectly." 



