( 39 ) 

 THE LARKS. 



We have two resident larks in Burma — the Sky-lark, whose song 

 is every bit as good as that of the English bird, and the small Bush- 

 lark which also has a short pretty little song. The bird world 

 seems to be as charmed by their singing as much as human beings, 

 for they have many imitators. 



THE INDIAN SKY-LARK. 



The only difference between this and the European bird is that ours 

 is slightly smaller. It has the same habits, and soars whilst singing 

 in exactly the same way as the English bird. Its song may be heard 

 any morning in the dry weather from all open bits of country, and 

 I have often heard it round Rangoon. 



Burmese name— Bi-lon. 

 (No. 86i. Alauda gulgula.) 



THE BURMESE BUSH LARK 



Is only found in the drier parts of the Province, and seems to prefer 

 the very driest part of the country it can find. At the besinning of 

 the rains it becomes a very lively little bird, fluttering up into^the 

 air for a few yards and then sinking down to the ground with out- 

 spread wings and tail while it sings its ?ong. It is a small quail-like 

 little bird, about five inches in length, and is very partial to the sides 

 of roads, where, on the advent of a passerby, it tries to conceal itself 

 by squatting down on the ground. 



It builds a slight dome-shaped nest on the ground and lays two or 

 three eggs spotted with brown. 



(No. 873. Mirafra microptera.) 



XVIII. 



THE SUNBIRDS. 



The Nectariniidae include the Sun-birds and Flower-peckers They 

 are all handsome little birds, the cocks having a very gaudy plumagre 

 Ihesun-birds often bemg called " humming-birds," which, needless 

 to say, are not found in the old world at all,' but only in the tropical 

 parts of .A.merica; they have curved beaks which are lon<y for their 

 size • and may often be seen hovering round flowers m gardens 

 whilst they extract honey and insects. The Flower-peckers are 

 minute little birds which are rarely seen as they prefer keepin<x to 

 high trees. They have short beaks, and many of the cock birds ifave 

 a highly coloured plumage. 



