THE SKYLARK. 55 



meadow where the pasturage is thick and luxuriant ; at 

 times on the hills amongst heather, or in the centre of a 

 wheat or oat field. Five eggs are commonly laid, which are 

 greyish white with a greenish tinge, mottled all over with 

 a darker grey and greyish brown, but they vary considerably 

 in appearance. In approaching the nest the bird invariably 

 alights at some little distance and runs to it. The birds 

 pair in April, and usually rear two or more broods during 

 the summer. The Skylark is a most devoted parent, and 

 exhibits great anxiety for the safety and welfare of its 

 offspring. 



The ordinary flight is undulating, but in soaring the 

 bird rises against the wind, at first irregularly, but after 

 a time it curves round, coming back against the wind 

 again, and so on until its greatest altitude is reached. 

 The song is continued during the entire ascent. The descent 

 is just as gradual, and is interspersed with similar curves and 

 circles until the earth is nearly approached, then the bird 

 suddenly closes its wings and drops abruptly to the ground. 

 The time occupied in these vocal ascents varies considerably, 

 sometimes extending to nearly half an hour, and sometimes 

 being much more brief in their duration. 



The length of the Skylark is about seven inches. The 

 beak is dark brown, the irides are hazel, the head feathers 

 are long and form a crest these are dark brown, paler at 

 the edges. The nape, back wings, and upper tail coverts are 

 of three shades of brown, the throat and top of the breast 

 are pale wood brown, spotted with dark brown, the lower 

 parts pale yellowish white, tinged with brown on the 

 thighs and flanks ; the legs, toes, and claws are brown ; 

 the middle toe is rather long, the claw of the hind toe is 

 very long, and the outer half slightly curved. 



