234 THE SKYLARK 







" Like the poor poet. 



Who in the sun's bright rays spreads out his wing 

 And bears towards heaven his song : he turns and 



falls, 

 And he is silent." 



The Lark lives partly on seeds, but its chief food is 

 gathered from the insect world. It is almost universally 

 considered by epicures a great delicacy, and is snared 

 by thousands. Fortunately it exists in great numbers, 

 but its snaring is to be deprecated. 



In England larks have been very largely eaten, but 

 happily the practice is now most strongly opposed by 

 thoughtful people. If the consumption of Larks in our 

 country went on as it was doing a few years ago the 

 species would soon be extinct. Yet this singer whom 

 poets have delighted to honour and one possibly 

 because of its alert ways and its sentinel-like attitude 

 which Julius Caesar chose as an emblem for one of his 

 famous legions, devours wdreworms, grubs and various 

 larvae when these lie hidden in the short winter pastures, 

 and just at the stage when the latter are most greedy of 

 nourishment, so that the grass would suffer incredibly 

 but for the bird's work. A recent authority stated that 

 it was to be deplored that not a tenth part of the Skylarks 

 that formerly frequented the Midland pastures were there 

 now. Unfortunately this bird is a favourite among 

 those who are given to the caging of singing birds. 



This bird is bigger and more slender than the Sparrow,, 

 and the colouring generally of the upper parts is a warm 

 yellowish-brown. It is distinguished from its congener, 

 the Woodlark, by its tail feathers. The two outermost 

 feathers are white, growing darker only about the shaft. 

 The outer web of the second feather is white. The tail 

 feathers have dark-brown centres and tawny edges. 



