AL AUDIBLE. 155 



Lark, nor is it so in any county of England : 

 according to Montagu it is more common in Devon- 

 shire than in any other county at all times of the 

 year. It is resident also in this county, and is most 

 usually seen in August or September in the rough 

 stuhble -fields, where it is to be found in little com- 

 panies of seven or eight, probably the two old birds 

 and their brood. 



In the hard weather in the winter of 1867 I pur- 

 chased a small bag of birds for a shilling from a 

 birdcatcher who was trapping them under a tree; 

 amongst the lot were two Wood Larks. I turned 

 them all out in my aviary, where they all did very 

 well except one of the Wood Larks, which died in a 

 fit about a month after I turned it out : it was pro- 

 bably the male, as it used to sing very softly every 

 bright day, even at that early period of the year 

 (February). The other lived some time, but never 

 attempted to sing. 



The food of the Wood Lark consists of insects 

 and worms, as well as grain, and seeds of various 

 wild plants and weeds, such as docks and sorrel, 

 or, as it is called here, "sour dock": my one in 

 the aviary also ate canary and rape seed and 

 bread. 



The nest is generally placed on the ground, under 

 cover of a tuft of grass or weeds, or of a low bush : 

 it is made of coarse grass and moss, lined with finer 

 grass and hair. 



