2Q4 O^WjlTHOLOgr. ~lwlT. 



fat : And there are then taken an innumerable number with us in England for the 

 furniftiing and adorning of our Tables, as Polydore Virgil truly writes. It builds 

 upon the ground, and lays four or five Eggs at once ; A late Writer faith three or four, 

 and that to his knowledge he never found five in all his life. 



This Bird builds ( faith Olina ) in plain, open ground, under fome clod of Earth $ 

 others fay in Com, or thick high grafs in Meadows : And though in Winter we fee 

 great flocks of them, yet we find the feweft of their Nefts of any birds that arefo 

 plentiful. He makes his Neft of dried herbs and firings, and breeds thrice a year, in 

 May, July, m&Auguft, rearing his young very fuddenly ; So that if you have a Neft, 

 youmufttakethemasfoonasthey are fpoon-feathered, or elfe you run the rifio of 

 lofing them, for they will get them gone of a fudden. This bird breeds much later 

 than the Wood-Lark-, by almoft two months, for (he feldom hath young ones before 

 the middle of May. 



Young Neftlings may be brought up almoft with any meat, but if you give them 

 fhecps Heart and Egg chopt together, till they are about three weeks old, it will not 

 beamifs: And when they come to eat alone, give them Oatmeal, Hemp-feed and 

 bread, mixed together with a little Egg. Olina faith, to fave charges, you may feed 

 them with Wheat, Oats, and Millet. Thefe birds that are To young may be brought 

 up to any thing, one bird learning another birds Song. You mult always obferve to 

 give themfand at the bottom of the Cage, and let them have a new Turf every week 

 placed in a difh of water in their Cage, ( which mult be as large as two of the Wood- 

 Larks Cage. ) They need have noPearchesin their Cages. 



The Cock may be known from the Hen, according to Olina, fry having his heel fo 

 long that it reaches beyond his knee 5 and having two black fpots on his Neck, one 

 on each fide, fomewhat infafhion of a Ring or Collar,,. his, breaft darker, and more 

 fpeckled with black, and a grofler body. My Englifh Author faith, that thofe you 

 intend to keep for fingingwere beft be taken in October ox November-, and then they 

 will fing a little after Chrifimm $ and advifes to chufe the ftreighteft, largeft, and 

 loftieft bird, and he that hath molt white in his Tail, for thefe ( faith he J are the ufu- 

 al marks for a Cock. If you find him very wild and buckifh, tie his Wings for two 

 or three weeks, till he is become both acquainted and tame alfo, and then when you 

 perceive him pretty orderly, untie his Wings, ftill letting him hang in the fame place 

 he did. You mull: feed this old bird with Hemp-feed, Bread, and a few white Oats, 

 for he takes great delight to husk the Oats : And when he begins to fing, once in a 

 week you may give him a hard Egg, orlhred him a little boy led Mutton, or Veal, or 

 Sheeps heart. You muft obferve in this bird, as in all others, that you give it no fait 

 meat, nor bread that is any thing fait. 



§• III. 



The WoodlarJ^, called at Kome^ Totto villa. 



THe Cock we made trial in weighed an ounce and a quarter : Its length from Bill 

 to Tail was fix inches and. an half: The diftance between the ends of the 

 Wings fpread twelve inches and an half. 



It is teller than the common Larh^, and fhorter bodied. Its Bill, as in the reft of 

 this kind, ftreight, ilender, fiiarp-pointed, above half an inch long, fomewhat flat, of 

 a dusky colour : Its Tongue broad, cloven : The hides of its Eyes hazel-coloured : 

 Its Nofthrils round. Its Feet of a pale yellow, inclining to fleih colour : Its Claws 

 <lusky 5 that of the back-toe longeft. The outmoft fore-toe fticks to the middle be- 

 low near the divarication. 



TheBreaft and Belly are of a pale whitifh yellow^the Throat deeper coloured} both 

 fpotted with black in the middle parts of the feathers. The Head and Back are par- 

 ticoloured of black andreddifh yellow, the middle of each feather being fpotted 

 with black. The Neck is afti-coloured. A white line encompaffeth the Head from 

 Eye to Eye like a Crown, or Wreath. The Rump is of a yellowiih red or tawny. 



Each Wing hath eighteen prime feathers 5 the outmoft being much fhorter than 

 the reft. The next five are half an inch longer than the reft, having their points 

 fharp, and their outer edges wiiite : The reft have blunt points, indented as it were 

 in the middle, having yellow eclges. The feathers of the baftard wing are dusky with 

 clay-coloured tips, and at its root is a white (pot. The fmall feathers on the ridge of 

 the Wing are afti-coloured. The Tail was two inches long, confifting of the ufual 



number 



