Alauda. birds. PASSERES. 7c| 



Gen. XL. ALAUDA. Lark. — Bill conico-subulate. Pa- 

 late plain. Hind claw produced. 



86. A. arvensis. Field-Lark. — Plumage reddish-brown 

 above, yellowish- Avhite, with dusky streaks beneath. Hind-claw 

 nearly straight, and longer than the toe. 



A. vulgaris, Will. Orn.149. Sibb. Scot. 17 — A. ar. Ltnn. Svst. i. 287. 



Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 353. Temm. Orn. i. 281 — E, Skye-Lark ; S, La- 



verock ; W^ Hedydd, Uchedydd ; G, Uiseag — A common resident. 



Length 7? breadth 12 inches ; weight an ounce and a half. Bill duskv, the 



base ot the lower mandible yellowish. Legs and claws dusky. Hin'dhead 



tinged with cinereous. Quills brown, with pale tips and edges. Tail brown ; 



the two middle feathers darkest ; the outer feather white on the outer web 



and tip of the inner ; the second white on the outer web only. The female 



resembles the male. Pair in April. Nest on the ground, of dry stalks, lined 



with fine roots of grass. Eggs 4, dirty white, spotted with brown The lark 



abounds in open cultivated situations. Is esteemed for its song, and as a deli- 

 cacy for the table. Congregates in wandering flocks during the winter. 



87. A. rubra. Red Lark. — Plumage above rufous-brown, 

 beneath reddish-white. Hind-claw curved, and of the leno^th 

 of the toe. 



Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 359. Turton''s Gm. Syst. i. 482 — In England, rare- 

 Size same as the preceding. Bill dusky above, whitish beneath ; lei-s pale 

 brown. A white line above and below the eye. Chin and throat Avhite. Back 

 with black, and breast with dusky spots. Middle feather of the tail black, edo-ed 

 with brown, the two exterior white — This species was first detected, near 

 London, by Edwards. One from the same quarter is described bv Montao'u 

 in his " Ornithological Elctionary," and another sent him by Mr Foljambe, 

 taken in the winter of 1812, near Woolwich, which measured full 7^ inches in 

 length. He says, in the Supplement, " The size, the bill, legs, and the hind- 

 claw, bespeak the species ; especially the great length of the tail in propor- 

 tion to the wings, v/hich, when closed, do not reach within two inches of the 

 end." 



88. A. arhorea. Wood-Lark. — A white band from the bill 

 over the eyes, surrounding the crown of the head. 



Will. Orn. 149. Sibb. Scot. 17. Linn. Syst. i. 287. Penn. Brit. ZooL L 



35G. Temm. Orn. i. 283 — IF, Hedydd-y-coed ; G, lliabhag-choille 



In the neighbourhood of woods. 



Length C^, breadth 12^ inches ; weight about an ounce. Bill dusky, whit- 

 ish at the base of the lower mandible. Irides hazel. Legs yellow. Plumage 

 above, brownish -black, with pale edges; cheeks yellowish-white; beneath 

 pale yellowish-white, with dusky longitudinal sti-eaks. Quills duskv, ed^ed 

 with brown; the coverts tipped with white. The two middle tail-feathers 

 brown, the next dusky, and the four exterior ones black. The female wants 

 the tinge of yellow beneath, and the white band of the head is obscure. Pair 

 in March. Nest on the ground, of coarse grass, lined with finer fibres, with 

 sometimes a few long hairs. Eggs 4, wood-brown, with blotches of grey and 

 brown — This species lives in families during the winter. Chiefly sings in the 

 air, flying in large irregular circles, or when perched on the top of a tree. 

 Sings sometmies late in the evening, and has been mistaken for the nightin- 

 gale. 



