THE WOOD LARK 87 



could be seen in the air together, all singing their loudest, 

 and very often one would sit on a low juniper bush and allow 

 me to approach within a few yards. I watched one of these 

 birds assist some Firecrests in mobbing a poor Kestrel that 

 quite unintentionally intruded upon their haunt, and then 

 soar into the air and warble a song of triumph as the big 

 bird disappeared amongst the gloomy cedars. Upon the 

 ground the Wood Lark is very active, running hither and 

 thither in search of food, and occasionally standing for a few 

 moments on a clod of earth. In this country it often lies so 

 close amongst the herbage as to be almost trodden upon 

 before it takes wing. When rising it generally utters a 

 musical double-note very similar to that of the Sky Lark. 

 Although so fond of perching in trees it never roosts in them, 

 but sleeps upon the ground among the herbage. 



The food of the Wood Lark in summer is principally com- 

 posed of insects and larvse. The bird is especially fond of 

 small beetles and worms, but in autumn and winter its diet is 

 considerably changed, and it appears to live almost exclusively 

 on small seeds and even the tender shoots of herbage. This 

 complete change of food is a curious and interesting fact in 

 the economy of many of our resident birds. Such seed-eating 

 species as Buntings and Finches, and berry-eating birds as 

 Thrushes, all live more or less exclusively on insects in spring 

 and summer, and on them their young are reared. Being 

 thus able to adapt themselves to whatever food is at hand, 

 they remain in this country when such birds as the Warblers, 

 the Swallows, and the Goatsucker are compelled to seek more 

 genial climes when their insect food becomes scarce. 



The Wood Lark pairs very early in the spring, and soon 

 after sets about nesting duties. It is a comparatively early 

 breeder, even more so than the Sky Lark, and what is still 

 more interesting it very probably pairs for life. Kegularly 

 every springtime we find the old accustomed haunts tenanted ; 



