176 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND Eacs 
Although the Sky-Lark pairs in March, nidification does not commence until 
late in April, nests being most numerous towards the end of May; two broods 
are reared in the year, the second nest being furnished with eggs late in June or 
early in July. Both male and female are very wary in approaching their nest, 
never descending close to it, but at some distance, whence they may be seen 
threading their way in the most irregular fashion in and out of the herbage 
towards it. This is best seen where the nest is somewhat exposed on an open 
pasture, the mother bird wanders about apparently in the most aimless fashion, 
but constantly approaching the nest until about a foot from it, when she makes 
straight for it and settles down. By watching patiently through a glass one can 
thus sometimes discover the nest. 
The Sky-Lark’s song is so much admired and so well-known that it is hardly 
necessary to describe it; it consists mainly of a shaking water-bubble trill, inter- 
spersed with long drawn notes, and is marvellously exhilarating, considering how 
little variety there is in it. The bird sings either soaring, or perched on a stump 
or a thick branch. 
In the summer the food of the Sky-Lark consists of spiders, insects, their 
larve, and worms; but in winter, and more especially during frosty weather, it 
gets little else but seeds of grasses, plantain, etc. During the latter season this 
species 1s very gregarious in its habits, and consequently immense numbers are 
netted, the male birds usually realizing from gd. to 1s. apiece, according to whether 
they are disposed of to dealers or private persons; the females, as already stated, 
are generally killed for the table. 
In 1886, I made my first attempt at rearing Sky-Larks from the nest: I 
obtained seven young birds about eight days old, and at first kept them in a 
basket of hay; but no sooner was this opened than these active little things 
bounded out like grasshoppers, often clearing my shoulders and alighting on the 
floor behind me. This I considered dangerous, and therefore bought a long ‘ Lark- 
runner,’ an elongated cage about two feet in length, by nine inches high, wired 
in front only. In one corner I fixed a Sedge-Warbler’s nest, put my birds in one 
by one, keeping my hand over to prevent their jumping out until all were inside, 
when I covered them with a warm flannel. When they began to get hungry off 
went the blanket and the whole family tumbled out of bed and stood in a row in 
front of the door shouting—/éee-u, fee-u, tee-u; and after their meal they raced up 
and down their cage until weary, and then tumbled back into bed and I covered 
them up again. They seemed strong and sound, but one by one they got cramp 
and died until I had lost them all. 
I subsequently purchased a young male and an old female and at first kept 
