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they are not observed in summer, but seldom remain there long. This time of migration is in 

 November and December. Old pairs remain year after year at the same breeding-place. They 

 migrate from the one inhabited place to the other in the day-time, generally in the forenoon, 

 and fly at a considerable altitude. They are peculiar in their choice of locality. They always 

 frequent, like the Sparrow, the neighbourhood of human habitations, near and in villages and 

 towns ; but by no means do all without exception do this. This refers chiefly to their summer 

 habitat, as in the winter they even frequent mountainous districts and large roads which go 

 through forests (but only in inhabited districts), whereas at other seasons they altogether avoid 

 forests and mountains. Nor does one ever see them on the open fields and amongst the grain 

 when far from habitations, nor in meadows, either in the summer or winter. They frequent 

 only such villages and the neighbourhood of such towns as lie higher than others in the 

 vicinity and have a dry or unfruitful but still not a dead soil ; and this they carry so far 

 that, when inhabiting places which have on the one side fine fruitful meadows, water, gardens, 

 brushwood, and low damp soil, and on the other position and soil as above described, they 

 invariably frequent the dry side, and scarcely ever visit the fruitful part. If in such places there 

 are gardens surrounded with old earth walls planted with scanty and poor trees, or containing 

 poorly tended land, in the neighbourhood of open fields, or roads, or old sand- or clay-pits, or 

 dry ploughed fields, these are favourite resorts of the Crested Lark. In such places one sees 

 quantities of them ; and on the plains of Anhalt, on this side of the Elbe, there are few villages 

 where none are found, excepting only such as are surrounded by fertile meadows, water, trees, 

 and brushwood, or which are encircled by dead sand-plains, or the true forest-villages. I have 

 never seen them in the forest, or in thickets, or amongst bushes, and never sitting on a tree ; 

 nor do I ever recollect to have seen them by the water-side." Though the habits of this Lark 

 are as above stated in the more cultivated portions of Europe, in other less thickly peopled 

 localities, where large tracts of waste land are found, this bird adapts itself to the locality, and 

 frequents these desert places far from any human habitation. I have seen the Crested Lark in 

 Spain at considerable distances from inhabited places, but could not distinguish any difference in 

 its note or habits, though Dr. Rey informs me that he could detect a difference in the song of 

 those which he met with frequenting the desert plains of Portugal ; and he appears to look on 

 G. theclae as a good species, in which view I cannot agree with him. 



The call-note of this Lark is a low, not unmelodious whistle ; and the song is sweet, in many 

 respects richer than that of the Sky-Lark, and somewhat reminding one of the song of the Wood- 

 Lark. Naumann writes that " when flying away it utters a low hoid hold, which it sometimes 

 draws out, and which occasionally sounds like hroid, and is not seldom followed by the call-note 

 quie, which, when complete, sounds like Qui, qui, qitie, or Dudidria. These notes are pleasing ; 

 but much more so is the song of the male which he utters in the spring, generally when on the 

 wing, but sometimes sitting, from the early morning, and even during the night, or at least 

 before daybreak." 



The Crested Lark runs swiftly and with great ease and erect carriage. Though it often 

 elevates its crest, it as often if not more generally carries it depressed. Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., 

 writing on its habits, says, " I frequently saw Crested Larks pecking about in the snow, and even 

 in a village on a housetop. Their crests are as often depressed as erect, but never so much so 



