THE LARKS 



1597 



slightly forked; and the claws slightly curved and very short. Five species of 

 short-toed larks inhabit Europe and Northern Asia, and three others are found in 

 India. 



The European short-toed lark (C. brachydactyla} is a common species in 

 Southern Spain and is one of the most characteristic of birds of Malta during 

 the summer months, frequenting the wildest parts of the island, where its song is 

 frequently uttered, as the male thus encourages his mate in the duties of incuba- 

 tion. Its range extends eastward to Turkestan, and in winter it visits Upper India. 



BLACK I.ARK, WHITE-WINGED LARK, AND SHORT-TOED LARK. 



(One-half natural size.) 



Its mode of ascending in the air differs from that of the skylark, consisting of a 

 succession of jerks. The short-toed lark is caught in considerable numbers by the 

 French bird catchers, to judge from the frequency with which we have found the 

 species for sale in the Paris bird shops. Its food seems to consist almost exclusively 

 of small seeds, the husk of which it has the faculty of breaking in its bill, but we 

 may presume that insects of some sort are supplied to the young. On the ground 

 this lark runs quickly, and it is especially fond of groveling in sand. When at 

 large, it never perches on shrubs or bushes, though in confinement, like the sky- 



