AL AUDIBLE. 153 



The nest of the Sky Lark is placed on the 

 ground: it is made of dry grass, and lined with 

 finer bents of grass. It seems that this bird occa- 

 sionally removes its eggs or young to a place of 

 greater safety if its nest be disturbed : an instance 

 of this is recorded in the 'Zoologist' for 1865: 

 " On the 9th of July four young Larks were found 

 in a rudely-scraped hollow in the ground near a 

 bunch of rushes in which the original nest was 

 placed. It had been flooded by the recent heavy 

 rains, and the young birds must have been removed 

 by their parents, for they were not able to move of 

 themselves." Another, but unsuccessful, instance of 

 this is quoted by Yarrell from Jesse's * Gleanings,' 

 where the old bird was actually seen carrying the 

 young one in her claws, but, her strength failing, 

 she dropped the young bird, and it was killed by the 

 fall. 



Sky Larks are easily kept, and occasionally breed, 

 in confinement. They have also been known to 

 attain a great age : one is mentioned in the * Zoolo- 

 gist' as having attained the advanced age of twenty 

 years, and its song continued almost to the last. 



The Sky Lark has the beak dark brown above, 

 pale yellow-brown at the base of the lower mandible ; 

 hides hazel; the feathers of the head and nape are 

 dark brown in the centre, margined with light brown; 

 those on the head are slightly elongated, forming a 

 small crest, which the bird can raise at pleasure ; 



