TUB WO'/DLAKK. 317 



Attractive Qualities. The Woodlark not only excels all 

 other Larks in the beauty of its song, but, in my opinion, sur- 

 passes, in this respect, all German birds whatever, except the 

 Chaffinch and the Nightingale. Its tones are flute-like, and 

 the varying phrases of its song have all a melancholy and 

 tender expression. It sings either perched on the top of a 

 tree, or flies upwards almost beyond the reach of sight, and 

 remains poised on its outstretched wings, often warbling for 

 an hour together. In confinement it always sings on its perch. 

 The period during which it sings is, in a wild state, from March 

 to July ; in confinement, from February to August. The female 

 also sings, as is the case with all Larks, but in a more broken 

 and interrupted strain. Some Woodlarks, which, however, 

 are often the best singers, are obstinate and whimsical, and 

 will not sing if any body be in the room ; it is therefore best 

 to hang them in a cage outside the window. Its abrupt gait, 

 and the curious manner in which it raises the feathers of the 

 head and neck when walking, make the "Woodlark an amusing 

 inmate of the aviary. 



ADDITIONAL. The following is a portion of MUDIE'S account 

 of this sweet and plaintive songster : " The Woodlark, though 

 pretty generally distributed over the British islands, is by no 

 means so common a bird as the Skylark. It is found on the 

 borders of woods in wild places, and is not so much a bird of the 

 cultivated fields as the other. Indeed, it is altogether of more 

 solitary habits ; for while Skylarks congregate in flocks of many 

 thousands, it is rare to see a dozen of Woodlarks at the same 

 time; and even in the small numbers that do appear in the 

 winter, they are not found far from those wild localities in which 

 they breed. 



" That Woodlarks are not so numerous in proportion to their 

 eggs as the other species, may be accounted for, partly from 

 the inclement season, and partly from the more barren places in 

 which they breed. Their breeding-time varies considerably in 

 different parts of the country ; but in all situations it is as early 

 as the weather will admit. And thus, on the high grounds, on 

 the skirts of the Grampians especially, the nests are liable to be 

 destroyed by those storms of sleet or snow, which set in some- 

 times ^ as late as the middle of May, or even the beginning of 

 June." 



At the close of autumn these birds congregate in small flocks 

 in the open fields, seeking food ; then it is that their melodious 

 warble is no longer heard, as they utter instead a low melancholy 



