45 



Many a time have we ourselves sat in the meadow where 

 they build their nests, and watched with much dehght 

 their journeying through the air, and back again, count- 

 ing from ten to fifteen minutes, and sometimes, even 

 longer than that, all the time continuing its most thrill- 

 ing and extatic notes. The Skylark, when caught 

 young, or brought up from the nest, will make a most 

 excellent cage-bird, singing during the whole winter, 

 spring, and summer. When caught old, it seldom an- 

 swers for a cage, being too timid, and very difficult to 

 tame. 



It should be fed with a mixture of maw seed (poppy) 

 or bruised hemp seed, pounded biscuit, and a little hard- 

 boiled eggj chopped up, to which may be added occa- 

 sionally a little raw beef, lean, scraped fine, or a couple 

 of meal worms. Some larks will eat canary and millet 

 seed, groats of oats. An extra dish, with this food, may 

 be placed in their cage, which, if the bird eats, will prove 

 very good for them. A little green food occasionally, 

 chopped up, agrees well with them. 



The Lark's cage should be from twelve to eighteen 

 inches long ; hight and depth in proportion ; the /<?/, in- 

 stead of wire, may be of cloth, or if bordered or wired 

 should be lined with such, to prevent their hurting 

 themselves by flying upwards, as they are apt to do. 

 No perches are required in the Lark's cage, as they 

 never perch, their claws being stiff, not like other birds. 

 The bottom of the cage should be covered with dry 

 sand or gravel, /la// an inch deep, in which they will roll 

 and dust themselves. They do not bathe in water as 



