72 OUR RESIDENT BIRDS 



brown margined with whitish, and conspicuous in flight. 

 Cheeks and throat reddish buff. Breast and belly dingy 

 white, streaked on the flanks with dark brown. Bill 

 light yellow. Legs dark brown. Length 5 in. In 

 winter much greyer in colouring. Female, no rose-red 

 rump. Young, duller. 



Language. Song, not unlike the Linnet's, but inferior 

 to it. Call-note, " twah-it " (hence Twite). 



Habits. Much like the Linnet, and more shy than it. 

 Gregarious in winter. 



Food. Small caterpillars and various seeds. 



Nest. May onwards. Two broods. 



Site. Very low down, or on the ground in bunch of 

 heather, tuft of grass, or furze-bush. 



Materials. Dry grass, rootlets, heather-sprigs, and 

 moss, lined with hair, wool, feathers, and sometimes 

 thistle-down. 



Eggs. Four to six. Pale greenish blue, speckled and 

 spotted with reddish and purplish brown. 



WOODLARK (Alauda arborea). 



Much rarer and more local than the skylark. Found 

 principally in the South and West of England and Wales ; 

 rare in Scotland and Ireland. 



Haunts. Uncultivated districts, commons and heaths. 

 It is not a bird of the woods as its name implies. 



Plumage. In general appearance like a lesser Skylark 

 with a shorter tail and much more striking eye -stripe. 

 Upper parts reddish brown, with blackish brown centre 

 to each feather ; yellowish white streak over eyes ; 

 under parts yellowish white, streaked with dark brown. 

 Conspicuous dark brown patch, tipped with buffish, on 

 the great wing-coverts. Bill dark brown above, paler 

 below. Legs light horn-brown. Length 6| in. Female, 

 slightly smaller. Young, rather more rufous above, and 



