CHAPTER VIII. 



THE LARK FAMILY 



(Alaudidcs}. 



The Chinese Lark The Black Lark The Short-toed 

 Lark The Madras Bush-Lark The Thick-billed 

 Lark The Bullfinch-headed Lark. 



HIS is not a numerous family anywhere, 

 and its foreign members are much less 

 meritorious subjects for introduction to 

 the aviary than our own species, still 

 THE CHINESE LARK, Melanocorypha mongolica> from 

 Central Asia, is a nice bird, as also are THE BLACK 

 LARK, M. yeltoniensis, from Siberia, THE SHORT-TOED 

 LARK, Calandrella brachydactyla, from Northern 

 Africa, and THE MADRAS BUSH-LARK, Mirafra affinis, 

 from India; but they are all of such very rare occur- 

 rence in the bird-shops that the bare mention of their 

 names here will be sufficient. If obtained, however, 

 they may be fed on the food provided for our English 

 Larks. 



THE THICK-BILLED LARK and THE BULLFINCH- 

 HEADED LARK have both been seen at shows, but 

 are of even rarer occurrence than the above. 



