THE WOOD-LARK 119 



brown than that bird's, its bill is finer, while the 

 superciliary streak is more pronounced. The song, 

 of course once heard can never be forgotten, 

 or mistaken for that of any other species. 



Finally, a somewhat curious habit of the Wood- 

 Lark should be referred to I mean in connexion 

 with the way in which the bird collects food for 

 its young. Many species as is well known 

 gather insect after insect or caterpillar after cater- 

 pillar, the while retaining in the bill those already 

 culled ; but not so the Wood-Lark, which I have 

 often watched depositing a bundle of ' ' prey ' on 

 the ground on each occasion that it caught a 

 fresh victim, then add this to the "roll," and so 

 continue, till a sufficient quantity has been gleaned. 



