110 THE BIRDS OF SUSSEX. 



and hair. It is said to remove its young, or its eggs, if dis- 

 turbed. Mr. Blyth (Nat. 1837, p. 103) describes a case of 

 which he was told, wherein the upper part of a Sky-Lark's 

 nest had been shaved off by the scythe, and the surround- 

 ing grass levelled by the mowers, without the female, which 

 was sitting on her young, flying away. She was found about 

 an hour afterwards to have constructed a dome of dry grass 

 over the nest during the interval. The eggs are not subject 

 to much variation, but a few years ago I found a nest in the 

 vicarage meadow at Cowfold, in which all the five eggs were 

 pure white, and perfectly fresh and good. 



Although I have not hitherto made any remarks on 

 varieties, I may say that in February 1890, I was shown by 

 Mr. Pratt, of Brighton, a Sky-Lark in such remarkable 

 plumage that I think it is worthy of mention. The whole 

 of the head and the upper part of the body are black, with 

 the edges of the feathers almost imperceptibly tinged with 

 brown. The under parts of the body, and the axillary 

 plumes, the scapulars, and about half an inch of the second- 

 aries, as also the tips of the primaries, and the final half of 

 the tail, are black. The middle of the secondaries, forming 

 a distinct bar across the wings, and about half the primaries, 

 are white, the latter being slightly pencilled with black on 

 the upper surface, while on the under side they are pure 

 white. This specimen was originally, when first caged, an 

 ordinary Sky-Lark, and assumed this plumage. 



WOOD-LARK. 



Alauda arhorea. 



The Wood-Lark is a resident, but very local, and by no 

 means common. When it occurs at all it is on the edges 



