110 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 



of the shank covered by two long undivided plates, like 

 most Passerine birds. 



Larks run about on the ground like Pipits and 

 Wagtails, not hopping like most small birds ; but unlike 

 the Pipits, they roll and shuffle in sand instead of 

 washing, and are still less addicted to perching than 

 those birds, remaining almost constantly on the ground. 

 They naturally build on the ground also, collecting a 

 little grass in a hollow, and their eggs are brown- speckled. 



The cock and hen are usually alike in Larks, but the 

 young are very different, being spotted with buff like the 

 young of so many Thrushes. Cock Larks are very good 

 songsters in many cases, and are especially noticeable 

 from their habit of rising in the air to sing ; some 

 species, however, are much more addicted to this habit 

 than others, and all at times sing when sitting still. 



Larks are generally more or less gregarious in winter, 

 and some assemble in very large flocks. They feed both 

 on seeds and insects, and are sometimes destructive to 

 sprouting corn. Most of them are resident, but some 

 migrate long distances, such as the Skylark of Europe 

 (Alauda arvensis) which also inhabits the Himalayas. 

 As articles of food Larks have long been esteemed, and 

 the "Ortolan" of India is generally a small kind of Lark 

 (Calandrella dukhunensis) ; but the "Wortlums" of the 

 bird-sellers in the Calcutta Provision Bazaar may be 

 almost anything, and many Pipits and Wagtails are served 

 up under this name. The true Ortolan of Europe 

 (Emberiza hortulana) is a rare winter visitor in the North - 

 West, and never by any chance is found in the dealers' 



