SKY LARK. 17 



whitish, and edged more broadly with reddish brown ; tertiaries, 

 brown, with broad light brown edges. The tail, somewhat 

 forked, dusky brown, the edges of each feather being light 

 brown; the two central ones are brown, broadly edged with 

 light reddish brown; the outer feather on each side is white 

 on the outer web, excepting at the base, with a longitudinal 

 oblique streak of white on the inner web; the next to it 

 dusky on the inner web, the outer web, or the greater portion 

 of it, white: all the feathers are rather broad. Upper tail 

 coverts, as the nape; under tail coverts, pale yellowish brown; 

 legs, yellowish brown, paler in some specimens, the joints 

 dusky; toes, dusky brown, the middle one rather long, the 

 hind one very long, and slightly curved; claws, dusky brown, 

 the hind one very long and straight, except the outer half, 

 which is slightly curved. 



The female closely resembles the male in appearance and 

 plumage. Length, nearly seven inches: the wings expand to 

 the width of one foot one inch. 



The young are of a light yellowish grey colour, the feathers 

 of the upper parts being dusky, tipped and margined with 

 the former. In their second plumage the dark markings are 

 darker than in the old birds, and the bill and feet paler; the 

 claws, especially of the hind toe, shorter. 



Varieties occasionally occur; some are seen pure white, and 

 others cream-colour, and some, though these are rare cases, 

 mottled with white. William Thompson, Esq., of Belfast, 

 describes one which had the primaries, secondaries, and tail 

 snowy white; and another, a true albino, with red eyes. In 

 confinement they sometimes turn black, probably the result 

 of some peculiarity in the food; one such, however, recorded 

 by Mr. Thompson, of Belfast, has been shot in a wild state. 

 In confinement, too, the claws have been known to grow to 

 the length of two inches. 



VOL. in. 



