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British Cage Birds. 



Skylarks build their nests in pastures, meadows, fallow 

 or corn fields, amidst a tuft of grass, in a small hollow 

 in the ground, or, frequently, in an indentation made by 

 the hoof of a horse. The nest is composed of dried weeds 

 or grass, is lined with hair, and is put together in a loose, 

 slovenly fashion. The males render very little assistance in 

 its construction. The hen lays four or five eggs, of a 

 greyish brown colour, thickly spotted with pale and dark 

 brown, and has two broods in the year. She incubates 

 fourteen days, and the first brood is able to leave the 

 nest by the early part of May. Sometimes the young birds 

 leave before they are properly fledged, especially during 

 wet weather. If two young birds, belonging to different 

 parents, meet, they will run at each other, and have a 

 fight, the same as game chickens, although they may not 

 exceed three weeks of age. 



Skylarks are very hardy birds, and roost on the ground 

 in the most inclement weather. If a severe storm of wind 

 and rain occurs during the night, it does not disturb them : 

 they remain where they are until daylight. If a snowstorm 

 commences during the night, they rise on the wing, keep 

 moving to and fro until daybreak, and then betake them- 

 selves to a place of shelter. When driven from the ground, 

 by deep-lying snow, in search of food, they will eat turnip tops, 

 mangel-wurzel, cabbage, broccoli, or winter lettuce. If near 

 the sea at this time, they congregate in large flocks, and 

 haunt the seashore, getting beneath the rocks or projecting 

 cliffs for shelter and protection. 



The Skylark sings from February to August, and in mild, 

 open winters, will sometimes sing in October, after the moult- 

 ing season is over, and continue to do so at intervals for 

 weeks afterwards, until a severe frost, or cold, and snow, 

 puts a stop to its ardour. In confinement, these birds sing 

 ten months in the year, if in good health and condition. 

 They sing best after they have paired, and during the pro- 

 pagation of the first brood. They are peculiar birds in 

 their habits. The cock does not roost near his spouse 

 when she is sitting, but goes away a considerable distance ; 

 though he is very careful to fix a landmark — which may 

 be a bush, a stone, a mound of earth, or a tree — whereby he 

 can at once discover her. In May and June, when the sun 



