The Skylark. 39 



unreasoning fits of panic: it is, moreover, so defenceless and 

 timid tliat its stronger-billed companions are apt to break its 

 legs : in a cage, however, it wUl thrive admirably if properly- 

 attended to. 



The female Lark sings, not as well as the male, it is true, 

 but much better than most birds of her sex who indulge 

 themselves in minstrelsy; so much so, indeed, that one or two 

 females I have known were taken for cook birds by their 

 owners, so perfect was their song, until an egg deposited in 

 a corner of the cage one day, revealed the bird's true sex 

 beyond dispute. 



The best kind of Lark's cage is a wooden one about eighteen 

 or twenty inches long, nine or ten inches wide, and some 

 fifteen inches high. The bottom of the cage should be fitted 

 with a drawer, capable of holding fine dry sand to the depth 

 of a couple of inches, for the birds like to dust themselves, 

 and unless they are enabled to do so are very apt to become 

 infested with vermin. The front of the cage should be bowed, 

 and so contrived as to rise above the level of the back por- 

 tion; a sod of grass should be always provided, as it conduces 

 much to keep the bird in health. The top of the cage must 

 be of wood, and unless the bird is exceedingly tame, should 

 have a piece of calico or baize stretched tightly an inch below 

 it, so that the Lark, in rising, may not hurt its head. When 

 wild these birds never go near water, as they find enough 

 moisture on the grass amongst which they live to sufB.oe them 

 for drinking and washing purposes, which is also the reason 

 why they never bathe. 



When at liberty in its native fields, the Lark, during the 

 summer and autumn, lives chiefly on insects; in the spring 

 it eats grass, and the tender blades of growing com, as well 

 as all kinds of seeds, especially if sprouting. In winter it 

 will eat anything it can find, from turnip tops to the odds 

 and ends of a farm-yard, to which in severe weather it fre- 

 quently resorts. In the house it may- be given bread crumbs, 



