ALAUDID&. 1538 
The nest of the Sky Lark is placed on the 
ground: it is made of dry grass, and lined with 
finer bents of grass. It seems that this bird occa- 
sionally removes its eggs or young to a place of 
sreater safety if its nest be disturbed: an instance 
of this is recorded in the ‘ Zoologist’ for 1865: 
‘On the 9th of July four young Larks were found 
in a rudely-scraped hollow in the ground near a 
bunch of rushes in which the original nest was 
placed. It had been flooded by the recent heavy 
rains, and the young birds must have been removed 
by their parents, for they were not able to move of 
”? 
themselves.” Another, but unsuccessful, instance of 
this is quoted by Yarrell from Jesse’s ‘ Gleanings,’ 
where the old bird was actually seen carrying the 
young one in her claws, but, her strength failing, 
she dropped the young bird, and it was killed by the 
dalds '\ 
Sky Larks are easily kept, and occasionally breed, 
in confinement. ‘They have also been known to 
attain a great age: one is mentioned in the ‘ Zoolo- 
gist’ as having attained the advanced age of twenty 
years, and its song continued almost to the last. 
The Sky Lark has the beak dark brown above, 
pale yellow-brown at the base of the lower mandible ; 
irides hazel; the feathers of the head and nape are 
dark brown in the centre, margined with light brown; 
those on the head are slightly elongated, forming a 
small crest, which the bird can raise at pleasure ; 
