112 THE BIRDS OF SUSSEX. 



been few and far between. Its first appearance in Sussex is 

 that of an example in the late Mr. Bond's collection, which 

 was procured at LittlehamptoDj and from which the figure 

 in Yarrell's 'British Birds' was taken; it is now in the 

 possession of Mr. Whitaker, of Rainworth Lodge, Notts. 

 Another was procured near Shoreham, by a bird-catcher, oa 

 the 30th of October, 1863, and seen alive the same day by 

 Mr. Rowley, as is recorded in the ' Ibis,' 1864, p. 224. This 

 example is now in the collection of Mr. Monk. Besides 

 these, I have in my own collection another specimen, which 

 was captured by a bird-catcher at Portslade, near Brighton, 

 October 10th, 1881, and taken to Mr. Pratt's shop in that 

 town; this proved on dissection to be an adult male. I 

 recorded it in the ' Zoologist,' p. 494, for 1881. It is a more 

 familiar bird than the Sky-Lark, frequenting in its own 

 country the roads, and even making its appearance among 

 the houses of the villages, often perching on the walls. The 

 cock has a soft and pleasant song, generally given on the 

 wing, and the hen is said to sing also. The nest is generally 

 placed in a hoof-print, or other depression in the ground, 

 though sometimes on a bank or mud wall, or even on the 

 edge of a low thatched shed (see Yarrell's B. B. vol. i. 

 p. 633-4). It is easily distinguished from the Sky-Lark by 

 the reddish-buff colour of the under surface of the wings. 



SHOET-TOED LAEK. 



Alauda hrachydactyla. 



This species, like the last, is a very rare visitant to Britain. 

 The first appearance in Sussex was that of one which had been 

 taken in a lark-net near Brighton in September 1854. It 



