when at length disturbed it only flies to a short distance 

 with a low twittering note. The regular song of this 

 bird is by no means unpleasing, though not powerful ; 

 it is uttered from the ground as well as when the bird 

 is on wing. 



In the pairing-season the Short-toed Lark soars to a 

 considerable height, singing as it mounts, after the 

 manner of our well-known Sky-Lark. The nests of 

 this species that have come under my observation were 

 all situated in depressions on very bare sandy soil, often 

 in a hoof-print, once or twice under a clot of the dried 

 dung of horses or cattle ; the materials of the nest are 

 scanty — a few dry bents or coarse grass-stems, with a 

 lining of hair, and an occasional feather or two, generally 

 those of the Pintailed Sand-Grouse {Pterocles alchata), 

 seeming to satisfy the requirements of this little dweller 

 in the waste. 



The eggs, generally four in number, are white, 

 thickly spotted with light ashy brown. 



