common Lark, it builds it's ncft on the ground, 
and never perches on trees. 
Lark, Crested. This bird differs from the 
common Lark in having a longer creft, in being 
lefs beautiful, and in not foarins; fo hieh. It's 
aerial excurfions are likewife (horterj and it never 
flies in flocks, nor frequents the banks of lakes and 
rivers. The creft confifts of eight or nine fea- 
thers, which it can ere6t, fpread, or contraft, at 
pleafure. The exterior parts of fome of the pinion 
feathers are of a duflvy white or cream-colour; but 
the throat is beautifully fpotted; and the breaft 
and bellv are of a yellowifli white hue. The tail 
is about two inches long; and fome of the exterior 
feathers have white borders, odiers red_, and fome 
black. 
Lark, Crested, Lesser. Bolton, in his Lift 
of Yorkfliire Birds, informs us, that this fpecics is 
very plentiful in that county; and Ray, who aflerts 
the fame, gives us the following brief defcription 
of it from Aldrovandus: ' It is,' fays he, ' like 
the greater-crefted Lark, except that it is fmaller, 
and lefs brown. Confidering the linallnefs of it's 
body, it's creft is very large; and it's legs are a 
fine red.' 
Lark, Field. This bird is fomewhat larger 
than the Tit-Lark. The head, and the hind-part 
of the neck, are of a pale brown colour Ipotted 
ivith duflcy lines, which appear very faintly on the 
neck; the back and rump are of a dirty green 
hue, the middle of each feather in the formicr 
being marked with black, and thofe of the lat- 
ter plain; the coverts of the wings are duflvy, 
edged with plain; the throat and breaft are yel- 
low, the latter being marked with large black 
fpots; the belly is white; and the tail is duflsiy. 
The legs are of a very pale brown colour; and the 
hind-claw, which is extremely fiiort for a bird of 
the Lark kind, fervcs as a principal diftindion of 
the fpecies. 
Lark, Red. This bird, v/Iiich was difcovered 
by Edwards in the vicinity of London, is about 
the fize of the Field-Lark. The head, the hind- 
part of the neck, and the back, are of a dufky 
brown colour; a blackifli line pafles through each 
eye, above which there is one of a dull yellow 
hue ; the wings are dark brown; and the tail is of 
the fame colour, except that the interior feathers 
are wholly white. The under-fide, from the bill 
to the tail, is a reddifii brown, marked with 
dufl-cy fpots ; the legs are a dark brov/n ; and the 
hind-claw is fliortcr than that of the common 
Lark. When the wings are collefted, the third 
quill-feather from the body reaches to it's tip, like 
that of the water-wag-tail genus. 
Lark, Grashopper. Ray defcribes this bird 
as having the note of the Graftiopper, but much 
more loud and flirill. When it fings, it perches 
on the higheft branch of fome bufli, v/ith it's 
mouth open and pointing ftraight upward, and it's 
wings in a diforderly form. With refpeft to fize, 
it is confiderably fmaller than the Tit-Lark: the 
bill is flender and duflcy ; the head and upper part 
of the body are of a greenifli brown colour Ipotted 
with black ; and the quill-feathers are dufky, edged 
with an olive-brown. The tail, which is very 
long, is compofed of twelve fharp-pointed fea- 
thers, the middlemoft being the longeft, and the 
others gradually decreafing. The breaft and belly 
are of a yellowifli white colour; and the hind- 
claw is fiiorter and more crooked than is ufual in 
the Lark kind. 
L A R 
Lark, Black. The bill of this bird is du%, 
and the-irides are yellow: the colour is entirely a 
duflcy brown inclining to black, with a reddifh 
caft, except on the back part of the iiead, where 
thcre^are fome feathers of a duflcy yellow colour .; 
and the belly, where fome of the feathers are edged 
with white. The legs, feet, and claws, are of a 
dirty yellow hue. This fpecies is feldom feen in 
Great Britain. 
Lark, Willow. This is a fmall fpecies, 
but has exaftly the fame note and aftion as the 
Grafhopper Lark. It annually vifits the willow- 
hedges in Flintfhire, where it continues during the 
whole fumaner. The head, back, and coverts of 
the wings, are of ayellowifn brow n colour marked 
with duflcy fpots ; and the quill-feathers are dufky, 
except on their exterior edges, where they are of a 
dirty white hue. The throat is white; the whole 
under-flde of the body is a light yellov/; the tail 
.s a dark brown; the legs arc a yellowifli brown i 
and the hind-claw is fhoit and crooked. 
Lark, Petit. This feems to be the fmaflefl:. 
of the Lark kind. The bill is flender, fliarp- 
pointed, andduflcy; the head, the neck, the upper 
part of the body, and the wings, are of a duhzy 
olive-green colour; but the latter are fliaded with 
black, and have a dufl^y white border on the two 
firft rows of the covert- feathers. The breaft and 
the lower parts of the body are of a pale brown 
hue, with large faint fpots of black. The tail is 
about two inches long; the outcrmoft feathers are 
white about half way, with dufliy edges; but the 
others are brown, with yellov/ edges. The feet 
are of a pale brown colour; and the claws are 
long. 
Lark, Sea; the Charadrius Hiaticula of Lin- 
nreus. This fpecies is common on the Britifli 
fhorcs in fummer, but the number is not very con- 
flderable. It feeds on beetles and fmall infefts; 
and, at the beginning of winter, totally difap- 
pears. The bill of this bird is half an inch long, 
the upper half being orange- coloured, and the un- 
der black. From the bill to the eves proceeds a 
black line; the cheeks are likewife black; the 
forehead is white, bounded by a black band that 
pafles from eye to eye ; the crown of the head is of 
a fine light brown colour; and the upper part of 
of the neck is encircled with a white collar, the 
lower with a black one. The back and coverts 
of the v/ings are of a light brown hue; the breaft 
and belly are white ; the tail is brown tipt with a 
darker fliade; and the legs are yellow. This bird 
lays four eggs, of a dull whitifh colour, thinly 
fprinkled with black. 
LARVA. An appellation given by Linnasus 
to infefts in that ftate called by authors eruca, or 
caterpillar. 
LARUS. In the Linnasan fyftem of nature, 
a genus of the order of anferes ; the characters of 
which are thefe : the bill is long, ftraight, and in- 
curvated near the extremity; there is an angular 
prominence in the lower mandible; the noftrils 
are linear, and fituated in the middle of the bill; 
the tongue is flightly cloven; the body is light, 
and covered with thick plumage; the v/ings are 
large; the legs are fliort; and the feet are imall. 
Thefe birds, which are almoft incefl^antly on the 
wing, feed on fifh, and are extremely clamorous. 
Linnaeus enumerates eleven different fpecies. See 
Gull, 
Ray obferves, that there are properly two fubor- 
dinate genera of the Larus kind. The firft genus 
is 
