a La Be GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 
the whole length of the bird about seven inches. The 
hen and cock are alike, but the young are easily dis- 
tinguishable by their buff spots. 
This Lark, although not a very migratory bird, is 
widely spread all along the Northern Hemisphere of the 
Old World, and, although it avoids damp regions, has 
great powers of enduring extremes of climate, and its 
tastes in the matter of food must be accommodating, 
as it rather affects barren localities. In India it is 
mostly confined to the North-West, and a compara- 
tively small proportion of the birds that visit 
us remain to breed in the country. These nest 
from March to June, making a small bed of various soft 
materials under any shelter such as a stone, or even a 
clod. Not more than three eggs are laid, white with 
brown and purple spots. 
The Crested Lark bears captivity well, and is a very 
good songster as a cage-bird. In an aviary, judging 
from one specimen I was able to observe, a bird obtain- 
ed young, it is lively and interesting, always industriously 
digging in the ground, and seldom still for long. 
It is also very courageous ; I saw the above bird once 
stand up to a Black-throated Thrush (Merula atrigularis), 
a bird twice its own size, and boldly sing in its face till 
the Thrush gave way. In 1901 I had several sent to 
England, and let them out in Kent, and I hope they 
survived to breed. I should advise someone to repeat 
the experiment, as the bird has already been found in 
England on a few occasions, and would, if established, , 
probably thrive there. As it is a harmless bird, sings © 
