112 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 



the whole length of the bird about seven inches. The 

 hen and cock are alike, but the young are easily dis- 

 tinguishable by their buff spots. 



This Lark, although not a very migratory bird, is 

 widely spread all along the Northern Hemisphere of the 

 Old World, and, although it avoids damp regions, has 

 great powers of enduring extremes of climate, and its 

 tastes in the matter of food must be accommodating, 

 as it rather affects barren localities. In India it is 

 mostly confined to the North- West, and a compara- 

 tively small proportion of the birds that visit 

 us remain to breed in the country. These nest 

 from March to June, making a small bed of various soft 

 materials under any shelter such as a stone, or even a 

 clod. Not more than three eggs are laid, white with 

 brown and purple spots. 



The Crested Lark bears captivity well, and is a very 

 good songster as a cage-bird. In an aviary, judging 

 from one specimen I was able to observe, a bird obtain- 

 ed young, it is lively and interesting, always industriously 

 digging in the ground, and seldom still for long. 



It is also very courageous ; I saw the above bird once 

 stand up to a Black-throated Thrush (Merula atrigularis), 

 a bird twice its own size, and boldly sing in its face till 

 the Thrush gave way. In 1901 I had several sent to 

 England, and let them out in Kent, and I hope they 

 survived to breed. I should advise someone to repeat 

 the experiment, as the bird has already been found in, 

 England on a few occasions, and would, if established, 

 probably thrive there. As it is a harmless bird, sings 



