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that bird ; but will often rise to a great 

 height, and keep flying in large irregular 

 circles, singing the whole time with little 

 intermission, sometimes for an hour together. 



Its song, though not so loud as that of the 

 Sky-lark, is more melodious, and may some- 

 times be heard in fine weather even in the 

 depth of winter. This bird feeds on grain, 

 seeds, and insects : its nest is placed under 

 a tuft of high grass or furze, or in a low 

 bush ; and is made of dry grass, lined with 

 finer grass and hair. The female lays four 

 or five eggs, of a dusky colour, interspersed 

 with deep brown spots, and, like the former 

 spe_cies, often raises two broods in the year. 

 It is a general inhabitant of Europe, but not 

 so plentiful as the Sky-lark. It is more 

 abundant in Devonshire than in any other 

 part of England. These birds get very fat 

 after harvest, and are taken in great num- 

 bers. 



The CRESTED LARK (Alauda cristate) is 

 distinguished from other species by the 

 feathers on the crown of the head being 

 much elongated and forming a crest, which 

 is darker than the rest of the plumage. The 

 back is ash-coloured, spotted with brown ; 

 the breast and belly yellowish white ; and 

 the throat is beautifully spotted. The tail 

 is rather short ; the two outer feathers, with 

 their exterior edges, white, tinged with red. 

 The song of this bird is fine, but not equal 

 to the Skylark : its aerial excursions are 

 likewise shorter. Though found in many 

 parts of Europe, frequenting the banks of 

 lakes and rivers, it does not appear to be 

 known in England. 



The TIT-LARK. (Anthus pratensis.) This 

 bird, which, by the older writers was classed 

 with the larks, belongs to a different genus 

 and family ; but may be described here. 

 It is of an elegant and slender shape, five 

 inches and a half in length, and nine in 

 breadth. The bill is black ; the back and 

 head are of a greenish brown colour, spotted 

 with black ; the throat and lower part of 

 the belly are white ; the breast is yellow, 

 spotted with black; the tail is dusky ; and 

 the feet are of a pale yellow colour. In 

 many parts of England this is a very com- 

 mon bird ; and is met with in marshes, 

 barren moors, and mountainous heaths : its 

 nest, made of dry grass and stalks of plants, 

 lined with fine grass and horse-hair, is placed 

 on the ground amongst furze and long grass. 



The eggs are generally six in number, but ' 

 vary considerably in size and colour : and 

 the Cuckoo is said to deposit its eggs among 

 them. During the period of incubation, tlie 

 male pours forth its short but pleasing song ; j 

 it generally springs into the air, increasing i 

 its song as it descends to the ground, from a ! 

 height of 30 or 40 feet. In winter many 

 Tit-larks betake themselves to the sea-shore. 



The TREE TIT-LARK. (.A nthm arboreus.) 

 This bird greatly resembles the Tit-lark; but 

 may be readily distinguished from it, by the 

 bill being much broader at the base, and the 

 legs being yellowish-brown instead of dusky. 

 It is a solitary species, never associating m 

 flocks, nor seen on the moors and downs, 

 where the Titlark is most abundant. The 

 nest of this species is placed only amongst 

 high grass in the most cultivated parts, 

 where there are plenty of trees. Its eggs, 

 of which there are four, are of a dirty bluish 

 white, blotched and si-otted with purplish 

 brown. Its flight is very peculiar, mounting 

 up in a fluttering manner, and after some 

 time descending to a neighbouring tree with 

 motionless wing and expanded tail, and 

 then alighting on the ground, warbling 

 during its descent. It is chiefly found in 

 the western and south-western counties of 

 England. 



There are other species enumerated by 

 ornithologists ; as the MEADOW LARK, a 

 species common in many parts of Italy : 

 the SHOKE LAIJK, known as an inhabitant 

 both of Europe and America, and very 

 abundant in the latter continent : the 

 BHOAVN LAHK : the ROCK LARK, found at 

 the Cape of Good Hope : the MARSH LARK, 

 native of Germanv : the SIBERIAN LARK : 

 the RED LARK : th'e BLACK LARK, &c. 



L ARRID^E. A family of Hymenopterous 

 insects, small in extent, and the species of 

 which it is composed are but of moderate 

 size. They are distinguished by the labrum 

 being entirely or partially concealed, and 

 the mandibles deeply notched on the inner 

 side near the base. They are ordinarily 

 found in sandy situations, and are fossorial 

 in their habits. One species, the beautiful 

 and rare Dinetus pictus, is remarkable for the 

 convoluted antennae of the males ; and the 

 exotic genus Polar-its is not less distinguished 

 by the constricted segments of its abdomen. 



LATHAMUS. A genus of Parrakeets 

 found in Australia ; as an example we may 

 mention 



LATHAMUS DISCOLOR, termed by the 

 colonists of Van Diemen's Land the " Swift 

 Parrakeet." During September and the four 

 following months this migratory species is 

 abundant in the gum forests, and very com- 

 mon in the shrubberies and gardens at Hobart 

 Town; small flights of them continually 

 flying up and down the streets and over the 

 houses. They gather a fine clear honey from 

 the fresh-blown flowers of the Eucalypti 

 (especially E. yibbosus}, which daily expand. 

 They are quite fearless, and allow the inha- 

 bitants to pass within a few feet of their 

 heads. Their eggs are laid in holes in the 

 loftiest and most inaccessible trees. For 



J 



