2o6 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



after flying for a short distance, begin to soar and to sing. This 

 is the Sky-lark, which, although it is not in appearance a beautiful 

 bird, is one of the sweetest songsters in this country. You may 

 watch it soaring until it actually goes out of sight, and yet it con- 

 tinues to sing as it rises, and as it descends again, until it almost 

 reaches the ground, when it suddenly swoops down and disappears 

 among the grass. 



It is, of course, the male bird that sings, but, close to where it 

 flew up, the female was probably sitting on her nest, which you 

 might possibly have found hidden at the foot of a tuft of grass. 

 The sky-lark in colour is much like the ground on which it builds, 

 and when sitting on its nest it is not easily discovered, so that 

 it feels quite secure and will not move until it is almost trodden 

 upon. It generally lays four or five eggs, which are white, closely 

 marked with dark and light-brown spots. Sometimes two broods 

 are hatched in a season. 



In the autumn these birds collect in large flocks, and they keep 

 together in this way all the winter. In spring they again pair off", 

 and so spend the whole summer. They are so plentiful in some 

 parts that large numbers of them are killed and sold to the game- 

 dealer, which we must feel to be a great scandal. On the Con- 

 tinent this beautiful songster has been almost annihilated in various 

 districts in order to satisfy a barbarous animal appetite. 



The young birds are often caught and kept in cages. If well 

 taken care of a lark will sing almost all day when spring comes 

 round, especially if its cage is hung outside the window where 

 it may enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. But its song in con- 

 finement is not to be compared with that of the " bird of the 

 wilderness " as it " at heaven's gate sings ". 



TITMICE (Family Parid^) 



Following close upon the Larks come the Wagtails, Pipits, 

 Creepers, Tits, Shrikes, Waxwings, and one or two less-known 

 groups. Let us look more carefully at the familiar Tits, of which 

 such names as Great Tit, Crested Tit, Marsh Tit, Blue Tit, and 

 Coal Tit must be known to us. 



