224 ALAUDID.E. 



bush here and there. The nest is placed on the ground slightly 

 concealed from view by a low bush or small tuft of grass. I 

 always fancy the birds scratch the round holes for themselves, as 

 1 have noticed a bare, smooth, round hole from which a pair of 

 Larks had flown away, and some days after as neat a Lark's nest 

 as possible occupied the same spot. The material they use is 

 entirely fine grass, twisted round and round the hole, nearly half 

 an inch thick. This fine grass is also placed, a little over the edge, 

 on the side at which they enter. I never measured a nest, but 

 think they were about 2| inches in diameter and 2 inches in 

 depth. 



" I do not remember ever having found a nest with more than 

 three eggs or young ones, but have seen many with only two 

 (occasionally) fully incubated eggs. 



" Sky-Larks never lay twice in the same nest, but always build a 

 new one for every brood. I think an egg is laid every two days. 



"Both parents share the pleasure of building, hatching, and 

 feeding the young. Even long after the latter leave the nest they 

 are fed and watched by their parents, and return at evening, for a 

 week or so, to sleep in the nest." 



From Conoor (Nilghiris) Mr. "Wait tells me that " the Sky-Lark 

 lays in June. The nest is small and cup-shaped, composed of grass 

 and fibres, and placed at the roots of small bushes or tufts of grass. 

 They lay five eggs." 



" For its nest in Ceylon," says Mr. Layard, " it selects some 

 depression in the soil, which it lines with fine grass, and in it 

 deposits from three to five eggs, of a brownish-grey colour profusely 

 streaked and mottled. It breeds in April." 



And Colonel Legge extends the breeding period in Ceylon up to 

 August. 



Dr. Jerdon states that " it breeds from March to June, making 

 its nest of grass and hairs on the ground under a tuft of grass, 

 laying three or four greenish-grey eggs, with numerous brown and 

 dusky streaks and spots." 



I have never seen eggs before the latter half of April, except 

 from the Kilghiris, nor hair in the lining of any nest of this species. 

 Both season and lining indicate Galerita cristata. 



Mr. Gates, writing from Pegu, says: " I found a nest of this 

 bird with three eggs, nearly hatched, as early as the 28th December. 

 It goes on breeding till April." 



All the eggs that I have of this species from Northern India 

 vary from moderately elongated to moderately broad ovals, at times 

 a good deal pointed towards the small end, and fairly glossy. The 

 ground-colour in some is greyish-, in others yellowish-, white, and 

 all are densely speckled, spotted, freckled, and even blotched with 

 pale yellowish and purplish brown or very pale inky purple. 



Eggs of this species sent me from the Nilghiris by Miss Cock- 

 burn and others exactly resemble those of the northern races 

 They are moderately elongated, very perfect, ovals, and belong 

 mostly to two types of colouring the one has a cream-coloured 



