540 
THE STORY OF THE BIRDS. 
and its nest is built in the side of a tussock of rough grass. Young skylarks 
can scarcely be distinguished from the dried grasses surrounding their nests. 
It is a singular fact that skylarks do not wash, but delight in cleansing their 
plumage by dusting their feathers in dry earth. The eggs of the skylark are 
white, thickly freckled with brown and gray. In the plumage the upper-parts 
are brown, tinged more or less with rufous, many of the feathers having dark 
centers; the wings are dark brown, the primaries narrowly edged with white 
on the outer webs; the tail is brown, with the exception of the outer feathers 
which are nearly all white; the throat and breast are buff, streaked with 
brown, and the rest of the under surface creamy white. Both sexes are alike. 
Crested Lark—A crest of very long feathers on the head distinguishes this 
lark from other members of the family. The song of the crested lark is 
sweeter and more pleasing than that of the skylark. This bird is found in 
all parts of Continental Europe, and frequents plowed fields in preference to 
grass land. Like the skylark, it nests upon the ground. Its eggs are grayish 
white, marked with brown and gray. In India the crested lark is frequently 
caged, and kept in darkness by its cage being wrapped in a cloth. In this 
state it learns to sing very sweetly, and even to imitate the songs of other 
birds. The crested lark has the upper-parts brown; the feathers of the neck 
and back having dark centers fringed with buff; the crest is conspicuous, and 
consists of nine or ten narrow feathers, blackish brown in color, edged with 
buff; the lower-parts are creamy white; while the sides of the throat are spot¬ 
ted with blackish brown; the feathers of the breast and flanks being streaked 
with dark, brown. 
Field Lark—A distinguishing feature of the field lark is a large patch of 
black adorning the sides of the neck. The upper parts of this bird are grayish 
brown, the feathers having dark centers; the under surface of the body is 
white, streaked finely with dark brown. In general appearance it somewhat 
resembles the corn bunting. It is one of the finest oT songsters, and it would 
be difficult to overpraise the beauty of its glorious song, which is full of 
changes. It is a heavily-built bird, but does not dangle its legs in the air 
when flying. Its permanent home is in southern Europe. It makes its nest 
in a hole in the ground, sometimes as deep as three or four inches. The eggs 
are a dull gray, blotched with brown and amber. The field lark is much in 
demand for eating;. 
Gray Wagtail—The favorite haunts of this bird are the streams and moun¬ 
tain torrents of central Europe. It delights in tiny cascades and rippling 
waterfalls, wading daintily in the shallows of a stream and running over the 
