CHAPTEE X. LAKKS 



FAM. ALAUDID^E 



WITH the Larks we enter upon an entirely different group 

 of birds, having no special affinities with any of the 

 preceding families. They are strictly terrestrial, as indicated 

 by the structure of the feet ; they nest on the ground, where 

 they spend the time when not on wing ; are usually migratory, 

 and more or less completely gregarious when not breeding. 

 Theirs is a mixed diet of seeds, insects, &c. The Skylark of 

 Europe, famous for its song, is a typical member of this group; 

 and others are highly musical. I have only to add to these 

 slight prcemonenda, before going into some interesting details, 

 that the uu practiced reader must be careful not to confound the 

 Larks proper with certain birds loosely called " larks"; thus 

 theTitZarfcs, or Pipits, though sharing the lengthened, straight- 

 ened hind claw and elongated inner wing-quills of Alaudidcv, 

 belong to an entirely different family, the Motacillidce; while 

 the American Field Lark is one of the Icteridce, much further 

 removed. 



The Alaudidce are remarkably distinguished from other oscine Passeres 

 by the anomalous structure of the tarsal envelope. The tarsus is covered 

 with two series of scutella, one lapping around in front, the other around 

 behind, the two meeting along a groove on the inner face of the tarsus ; the 

 tarsus is consequently blunt behind as well as in front. There is a simple 

 suture of the two series of plates on the outer face of the tarsus ; the in- 

 dividual plates of each series alternate. Now in all this there is seen an 

 approach to say rather but little departure from the condition of the 

 tarsus afforded by the clamatorial or non-oscine Passeres, in which the rule 

 is that the tarsus shows a single 'series of variously or irregularly arranged 

 plates lapping around both before and behind, to meet like a scroll along a 

 deep suture on the inner face of the bone. Were we to take this character 

 alone into consideration we should be obliged to remove the Alaudidce from 

 the Oscines, or at any rate place them at the bottom of the series, next to 

 the Clamatores; yet, as we have seen, the vocal power of the birds is of a 

 very high order. As Dr. Cabauis remarked (Mus. Hem. i. 121) shortly after 



