XV.—Larks.



207



first placed upon the market: in 1911 I sent for two tubes of

mouse virus and a phial of Rattine and although I carefully

prepared them according to instructions, not a mouse was

destroyed by any of them : in 1910 one tube of mouse-virus

cleared off every mouse on my premises.


Unlike most birds, harks appear to sing instinctively ;

that is to say, instead of learning from their parents, the wild

song appears to be hereditary. I have taken Skylarks from the

nest when six days old and hand-reared them, and one of these,

though a hen, sang the well-known song of its species ; others

taken when fairly well feathered not only produced their own

natural song, but introduced into the performance parts of the

songs of other birds in my possession.


My first attempts at handrearing Larks were not successful,

the whole of them having died from cramp, although kept warm

in a basket of hay and covered with flannel at night. Considering

that in their wild state birds would be crouching together in a

nest placed in a hollow or depression in the earth, I concluded

that moist warmth to the legs was necessary in their infant

stage; I therefore cut a hole in a thick turf and inserted therein

a Whitethroat’s nest, in which I placed my nestling Larks,

covering them with a piece of flannel to represent the mother-

bird : from that time forward I had no further difficulty in rearing

Skylarks.


I have had no experience in breeding Larks, and for that

reason I should have been better pleased if our friend, Mr.

Reginald Phillipps, would have consented to undertake this

article. I should imagine that, at first, these birds would recprire

a considerable amount of living insect-food for their young; a

point upon which, I think, Mr. Phillipps, does not speak defin¬

itely in his account of the nesting of the Black Lark. Soiled

hay seems to have been preferred for the nest; not I should

imagine to render the latter less conspicuous, but because it

would be easier to mould than when fresh and stiff.


Many years experience in bird-nesting convinced me that

birds selected such suitable materials as were nearest to hand,

without considering whether the use of these would render their

homes conspicuous or the reverse : the only Chaffinch nest which



