THE CALANDRA LARK. 185 



Germany, where it may be seen by the road side picking for its food the 

 undigested grains in horse-dung. It perches like the wood-lark. It is 

 caught in the southern parts of Thuringia with lime twigs, or nets, at its 

 return in March, when there has happened a heavy fall of snow; but at 

 such times it is so thin and so weak for want of food as scarcely to have 

 strength to eat what is offered to it. It may, no doubt, be preserved in 

 confinement by treating it like other larks, but of this I have no experi- 

 ence, never having been able to procure a single living individual of this 

 species, which also prevents my speaking of its song. 



THE CALANDRA LARK. 



Alauda Calandra, LINN.EUS; La Calandre, BUFFON; Die Kalander, BECHSTEIN. 



LARGER than the common lark, the Calandra is also fur- 

 nished with a shorter and stronger beak, which enables it to 

 shell its grain ; in other respects the plumage, the form, and 

 manners, are the same, the only difference being a very distinct 

 and apparent spot on the lower part of the neck. The male is 

 distinguished by being larger and blacker round the neck ; the 

 female has a very narrow collar, and sometimes none at all ; 

 some individuals, old ones doubtless, have a large black mark 

 at the top of the breast. The tail is black, according to Lin- 

 naeus, while in the preceding it is brown. 



HABITATION. It appears that this species has much resemblance to the 

 preceding ; but it does not inhabit the North ; it is found in Syria, Italy, 

 Sardinia, and Provence : it is also said to frequent Carolina, in America. 



In confinement it must be furnished with a long cage, the top made of 

 linen, because it hops and jumps about a great deal, especially at first. It 

 must be fed like the other larks. 



BREEDING It builds on the ground like the sky-lark, and lays four or 

 five eggs. In order to have calandras which sing well, they must be bred 

 up from the nest, and be fed in the same manner as the young of the sky- 

 lark species ; this is how they breed them in Provence. 



MODE OF TAKING. In the countries where it is found, the plan consists 

 in spreading a net near the water where it drinks ; this method is con- 

 sidered the best. 



ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES Its song is so admired in Italy, that " to sing 

 like a calandra " is a common expression for to "sing well." It also 

 possesses the talent of imitating, like the skylark, the songs of many birds, 

 such as the goldfinch, the linnet, the canary, and even the chirp of young 

 chickens, the cry of the cat, in short, all sounds adapted to its organs, and 

 which may be acquired when they are flexible. 



