motion. The same formation assists it very much in 

 vaulting perpendicularly into the air ; and it can spring 

 clear of the grass, though tall enough for concealing it 

 when running, without touching a blade with its wings. 

 To do that, it first contracts the tibia and tarsus, and 

 extends the toes over the largest possible surface ; then 

 it stretches the whole joints of the leg, and compresses 

 the toes, so that the elasticity of the muscles of its 

 body^ and that of the grass together, project it into the 

 air like an arrow, the head being erected, and the tail 

 depressed, in order to lessen the upward surface as 

 much as possible. In this way we have often observed 

 it to vault a foot and a half clear of the ground, even 

 of the tops of grass, before the wings began to flutter. 

 This peculiarity in the feet of the lark, and the man- 

 ner of its rising from the ground, is very serviceable to 

 it in concealing its nest. The bird, and indeed the 

 eggs, resemble a good deal, in colour, the clods among 

 which they are placed ; and, as the sitting time for the 

 second brood, which is July, and even for the first, 

 which is May, happens when the herbage is long, the 

 nest is not discovered by the rising of the old bird, as 

 the grass is very little agitated. There would need to 

 be some means of preservation, for the situation of the 

 nest exposes it to many casualties. It is on the earth, 

 without any concealment, not being found in a tuft 

 like the nests of some other birds that build on the 

 earth. The nest, though simple, and exhibiting the 

 bird above the surface, is constructed with a good deal 

 of care. The outside is small twigs, bits of creeping 

 roots, and coarse grass; and the interior, softer grasses, 

 sometimes, but not very often, mixed with long hair. 

 Short hair, wool, and feathers, are never used by the 



