48 BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR EGGS AND NESTS. 



hearts than one in that silent company. Up, up, to the sky was 

 his pathway, and the song and the soaring both said that a "joyful 

 resurrection" was no " cunningly devised fable." 



The Sky Lark's nest is always on the ground, often near the 

 edgtj of a furrow, sometimes near a little grassy unevenness ol 

 the surface, sometimes even, cunningly concealed in a dry grassy 

 grip by the side of a field at the foot of a low hedge-bank, ft 

 is but a slight amd inartificial structure, of bents lined with finer 

 grasses and a few fibrous roots. The eggs, which I never knew 

 to exceed five in number, vary as much in general colour and 

 markings as the Tree Pipit's and quite baffle verbal description. 

 I found three in a nest two years ago, altogether dusky in general 

 hue and so dark that I can hardly use the word brown in describ- 

 ing the shade; while generally " dark grey" and "ash brown" 

 wm succeed in conveying an idea of the mottlings characterising 

 the egg. Besides which, by no means a small proportion of a 

 large collection of Sky Lark's eggs will always be found to show 

 a prevailing tinge of green in the surface colouring. The Lark 

 is a very faithful mother, and will not easily be induced to leave 

 her nest ; and even when the nest has become quite untenable 

 longer, from any cause, the parent birds have been known to 

 move both eggs and young to a safer place, by grasping them 

 with the long prehensile claws of their feet. Fig. 24, plate III. 



88. WOOD LAKE, (Alaudaarborea). 

 The Sky Lark is seen everywhere; on the moors here in 

 small parties, on the Saltings in Essex and other southern 

 counties, incur meadows and corn-fields all over the kingdom. 

 The Wood Lark, on the other hand, is strictly local, though 

 sufficiently abundant where it does occur. I knew, in one case, 

 where a shot was fired at a lot of Larks in the snow, that out 

 of five or six which were killed all but one proved to be Wood 

 Larks. So local is it, that though I have been a resident in 

 Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Herefordshire, Berwickshire, and 

 Yorkshire, as well as a visitor in other counties, I have never 

 lived among or near its haunts, saving only in the western-most 

 county named. The nest is formed on the ground, usually well 

 concealed by grass or a neighbouring scrubby bush, is composed 

 of dry grass and moss, and lined with fibres and a few hairs. The 

 eggs are four or five in number, of a lighter ground-colour (but 

 scarcely less in size) than those of the Sky Lark, vary very little 

 comparatively in their general appearance, and often in addition 

 to the ash brown or greenish hue of the superficial frecklings 

 and mottlings, are marked by the presence of a few wine-red 

 blotches. The young are much sought for to keep in cages, as 

 ihey soon begin to sing very freely. The song of the Wood 



