156 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE, 



The Wood Lark has the beak dark brown on the 

 upper mandible and the lower one pale yellow- 

 brown ; irides hazel ; the head is very dark brown, 

 the feathers being more or less margined with light 

 brown and elongated, forming a slight crest ; there is 

 a light streak over the eye and ear- coverts extending 

 to the back of the neck; cheeks and ear-coverts 

 rusty brown ; feathers of the back, scapulars, wing 

 and tail-coverts very dark brown, margined with 

 light brown; quills dullish brown, margined very 

 narrowly and tipped with light brown ; the margins 

 of the tertials are broader than those of the other 

 quills, and the brown on the inner web is a shade 

 darker than that on the outer web ; the outer tail- 

 feather on each side light brown, with a dark brown 

 patch on the inner web, the two centre feathers 

 brown, all the other feathers dark brown, with a spot 

 of white at the end ; throat, breast and all the under 

 parts light yellowish brown, spotted with dark brown 

 on the breast; legs, toes and claws light brown, the 

 hind claw straight and half as long again as the hind 

 toe. Yarrell says the female has the spots on the 

 breast more numerous than the male. 



The eggs of the Wood Lark very nearly resemble 

 those of the Sky Lark in colour, but are rather 

 smaller in size, and not quite so broad for their 

 length ; but, like the eggs of so many other birds, 

 they vary considerably. Meyer mentions a variety 

 in which the ground colour is reddish white, freckled 



