242 OUR NATIVE SONGSTERS. 



tail, and by a pale sti'ipe passing over", each eye. 

 It builds early in April, and places its nest in 

 gome field under the covert of a tuft of furze or 

 bramble, or a clump of herbage. The nest is 

 composed of dried grasses, and lined with finer 

 species ; the eggs are of pale brown or grey, 

 dashed with brown. 



Both this bird and the sky-lark have a habit of 

 rolling themselves in the dust, which appears to 

 be a mode of cleansing their plumage from any- 

 thing which adheres to it, and which lias been 

 compared to the well-known practice of tlie Arabs 

 of the desert, wlio, when they are far from tlie 

 water necessary for their stated ablutions, rub 

 themselves with fine sand instead. The caged 

 larks often rub their breasts against the dry sides 

 of the turf which is placed in the cage. 



The pipits, or tit-larks, are very similar to the 

 larks, both in appearance and habits ; and, like 

 them, are delightful singers. The most common, 

 and the smallest of the genus, is the Meadow (' 

 Pipit* {Anthus pratensis), which, however, is not 



* The Meadow Pipit is six inches in length. Upper parts 

 brown, the feathers having dark centres and pale edges ; outmost 

 tail-feather white; under parts bro wnish- white ; the breast thickly 



