WOOD-LARK. 



507 



Alauda arborea. Lin. Syst, Nat. 1. 287. 3.^Lin. Faun. Sues. 



2ll,^GmeL Syst. Nat. 1. 7g3.—Lath.Ind. Orn, 1. 492. 3.— 



Briss. Orn. 3. 340. pi. 20. f. 1. 

 L'Alouette de bois, ou le Cujelier. Buff. Hist. Nat, Ois. 4. 25. 



—Buff. PL Enl. 660./ 2. 

 Wood Lark. Pen. Brit. Zool. I37.— Pen. Arct. Zool. 2. 395. 



B.—Albin. Birds. 1. pi. 42.— WilL Orn. 204.— Lath. Gen. 



Syn. 4. 371. 3. — Leivin. Brit. Birds. 3. pi. QO. — IValc. Syn. 2. 



pi. igo.—BetmcL Brit. Birds. J. 183. — Mont. Orn, Diet. 1. — 



Mont, Sup. 



In plumage this species greatly resembles the 

 Skylark, but it is much less than that bird, and 

 only measures six inches in length : its beak is 

 dusky, with the base of the under mandible 

 whitish : irides hazel : the feathers on the crown 

 and upper parts of the body are dusky, edged with 

 light reddish brown ; on the former they are elon- 

 gated, and form a slight crest at the will of the 

 bird : from the beak over the eye is a narrow yel- 

 lowish white band surrounding the crown of the 

 head j the feathers over the ears are brown^ be- 

 neath which is another light band : quills dusky, 

 slightly edged with brown : neck and breast yel- 

 lowish white tinged with brown, and marked with 

 dusky spots : tail short j the two middle feathers 

 brown, the next dusky, and the four outer ones 

 on each side black, with dirty white tips; tail- 

 coverts very long and brown : legs yellowish flesh- 

 colour : hind claws long, and slightly bent. 



This species can be easily distinguished from 

 the Skylark during flight, as it does not mount in 

 the air in a perpendicular manner, and continue 

 hovering and singing in the same spot like that 



