74 BRITISH BIRDS EGGS. 
WOOD LARK. 
ALAUDA ARBOREA, Linn. 
Pl. XL, fig. 16. 
Geogr. distr.—Throughout Central and Southern Europe ; eastward 
as far as the Ural Mountains; local in England. 
Food.—Insects, worms, slugs, seeds, green food. 
Nest.—Formed of straws and moss, lined with fine bents, wool, and 
hair; it is therefore more compact than that of the Sky Lark. 
Position of nest.—On the ground, usually well concealed in the 
grass or in a clump of heather, in uncultivated places dotted with 
bushes and trees; it has been found upon the stump of a felled oak. 
Number of eggs.—4-5. 
Time of nidification.—ITI-VII; May. 
Less numerous than the Skylark, this species is, never- 
theless, not uncommon, and breeds freely in certain spots 
throughout the Midland and Southern Counties of England; 
it seems, however, rarely to breed from Bedfordshire north- 
wards, excepting in Derbyshire, 8. Lancashire, the Hast 
Riding of Yorkshire and Westmoreland; in Scotland it breeds 
in Stirlingshire, and in Ireland in the county of Dublin; its 
choice of a nesting-place varies not a little, but it appears 
carefully to avoid land which is under cultivation. During 
the breeding season I have seen this species sitting and 
singing in a little roadside copse in the wooded country near 
Dover; though generally considered a shy bird, it took no 
notice of the approach of myself and a friend, but con- 
tinued to sing as we watched it. Unlike the Sky Lark, it 
does not rise perpendicularly and continue to hover and 
sing in one spot, but sometimes it soars to a great height 
and keeps flying in wide irregular circles, singing inces- 
santly; it is a little smaller than the common species, has 
a shorter tail, a conspicuous pale streak over the eye and 
ear-coverts, and is more distinctly marked on the breast ; 
its eggs are generally paler, broader, and smaller, though 
some varieties differ chiefly in their slightly inferior size. 
