254 THE SKYLARK. 



The Leverokes that beth couth, ^ 

 Lieth adowu to man-is mouth 

 Y-dight in stew full swirthe ^ well, 

 Powder'd with gingelofre and canell.^ 



Land of Cokaine. 



At the present time as many as twenty or thirty thousand 

 Skylarks occasionally reach the London market in a single 

 day, and it has been estimated that about £2000 worth are 

 annually sold in the metropolis alone.'* They are mostly 

 caught by dragging nets at night over stubbles and fallows. 

 A peculiar feature in the Skylark is its very long hind 

 claw.'' This is referred to in the following lines, which are 

 thought to resemble its song, — 



Up in the lift go we, 



Te-hee, te-hee, te-hee, te-hee ! 



There 's not a shoemaker on the earth 



Can make a shoe to me, to me ! 



Why so, why so, why so ? 



Because my heel is as long as my toe ! " 



Although the plumage of this bird seldom varies, yet 

 occasionally we have instances of albinos in the county. 

 The Earl of Home's gamekeeper observed a cream-coloured 

 specimen on Drakemire Moor in ISTS,'^ and Mr. J. Waddell 

 found a white example in a turnip field near Birgham a 

 few years ago. 



They are very fond of dusting themselves in dry sunny 

 weather, and are frequently seen doing this in the middle 

 of our public roads in summer. 



The food consists of seeds — including corn — insects, and 

 worms. The nest is built on the ground amongst herbage, 



1 Taught. 2 Quickly. ■* Ginger and ciunamon. 



4 See The Standard, 16th Jan. 1886. 



^ An interesting notice of the long heel-claw of the Skylark, by Mr. Ralph 

 Carr, of Hedgeley, appears in the History of the Berwickshire Natiiralists' Club, 

 vol. iv. p. 209. 



6 Popular Rhymes of Scotland, R. Chambers. 



7 Hist. Ber. Nat. Club, vol. vii. p. 512. 



