341 INSESSORES. 



the Fissirostral type, but they are more commonly ranked with 

 the Cone-billed birds, where we have placed them. 



The SKY-LARK, A. avensis, the Alouette of the French, the 

 Feld Lerche of the Germans, and the Lodola of the Italians, is 

 widely celebrated for its inexpressibly beautiful song, chanted 

 far up in the air, when the bird is at liberty and in its natural 

 state. It commences to sing early in the spring, and continues 

 its song during the entire summer. " When this Lark first rises 

 from the earth, its notes are feeble and interrupted ; as it ascends 

 however, they gradually swell to their full tone, and long after 

 the bird has reached a height where it is lost to the eye, it still 

 continues to charm the ear with its melody." Its food consists 

 of insects and their larvae, with many sorts of seeds and grain. 

 The Sky-lark is about seven inches in length. It is found 

 throughout Europe ; also in Asia and the northern parts of 

 Africa. 



The WOOD-LARK, A. arborea, is smaller and can perch on 

 trees, a power denied s to the Sky-lark. 



The HORNED LARK, A. cornuta, (Lat. horned,) is an Ameri- 

 can species of a dusky brown color, seven and a half inches in 

 length. Its head has erectile feathers. This Lark ranges from 

 680 N. Lat. to Texas. It is seen during the coldest weather. 



Dr. Buckland figures a Lark, (alauda,) among the land mam- 

 mals and birds of the third period of the Tertiary series, in the 

 first plate of his illustrations of his " Bridge water Treatise." 



SUB-FAMILY. The COLIES. 

 Coliada, (Gr. xo^oj, kolids, the name of a bird.) 



The Colies are ranked by Svvainson among the Muscophagada, 

 or Plantain-eaters. Others rank them among the Finches. Gosse, 

 jn his work on Birds, raises them to the rank of a family, and 

 places them between the Finches and Plantain-eaters. They 

 are few in number and confined to Africa and India. The two 

 mandibles of the short, conical beak, are, in these birds, arched, 

 the point of the upper slightly overhanging the lower. The feath- 

 ers of the tail are exceedingly long and stiff; like the Humming 

 Birds, they deviate from the general rule of twelve tail-feathers, 

 having but ten, agreeing in this respect with the Swifts, and also 

 in having the hind toe capable of being turned forwards, so that 

 all the four toes point in one direction. In their general form 

 and habits, they do not, however, show any likeness to the 

 Swifts. The Colies live mostly on trees, climbing about much in 

 the manner of Parrots. They go in large flocks and even 



