THE SKY-LARK. 177 



them together, but finding that they did not get on well together I separated 

 them, keeping the male bird in an ordinary Lark-cage and the female in an aviary 

 where she contented herself with running backwards and forwards continually over 

 about a foot of ground, never flying, excepting when startled, when she flew up 

 recklessly and fell back regardless of consequences to the detriment of her plumage. 

 The male turned out a good singer and was so tame that he used to peck and 

 pull at my finger when I put it through the wires ; he was also very intelligent 

 and would claw the wires and look round at a bottle containing watercress, of 

 which he was very fond, evidently asking me to give him some. 



In July, 1887, I obtained two nestling Sky- Larks and brought them up upon 

 my Nightingale food, and in October they both began to sing, but one of them 

 died the following year ; the other made a grand singer, and used to introduce 

 the song of the Persian Bulbul into the middle of its performance : it lived for 

 several years. 



In May, 1888, I took a nest of three young Larks when they were only six 

 days old (I first saw them as eggs) and was obliged to take them when I did, as 

 I was then returning home. Although they all had a touch of cramp, I success- 

 fully reared them, but during their autumn moult two of them died ; the third, 

 which was a wonderfully tame little bird, I turned loose in an aviary where it was 

 quite happy ; it used to strut about in a consequential manner with its crest up, 

 and although it was a small bird it sang so well that I felt certain it must be a 

 cock and never examined it ; eventually it settled the point by laying an egg. 

 This bird was very fond of perching upon a branch with the long hind toe and 

 claw hanging straight down over the back of it, but it always roosted on the earth 

 after the manner of its species.* 



Judging by my own experiences in rearing Sky- Larks I am inclined to think 

 that a turf in the cage, with a hole cut in it, and a Whitethroat's nest fixed 

 therein is an advantage ; the young birds at first sleep in the nest, but as they 

 get older they crouch down on the turf, and the moist warmth seems to lessen the 

 tendency to cramp ; but I am sure that another and a more important thing is to 

 give them food containing plenty of egg and moistened ants' cocoons. When 

 adult, two or three mealworms a day, a handful of canary and millet-seed once a 

 week, and watercress when obtainable, should be given in addition to the usual 

 soft food. 



I think it was in the winter of 1891-2 that my man, having nothing else to 

 do, took my nets out and brought me home thirteen Sky-Larks, in addition to a 

 few other birds ; about eight of these proved to be cock birds, and I selected the 



* Hand-reared lieu Sky-Larks often sing, but I never knew a wild caught hen to do so. 

 VOL. II. 2 F 



