136 
THE COMMON BUNTING. 
Mention is made of this bird in Titus Andronicus 
(Act ii. Sc. 3, and Act iii. Sc. 1) ; in Cymbeline (Act iii. 
Sc. 6) ; and in Richard II. (Act iii. Sc. 3). 
Formerly, a curious method of taking larks was prac¬ 
tised by means of small pieces of looking-glass and red 
cloth. These were made to move at a little distance from 
the fowler by means of a string, and when the birds, 
impelled by curiosity, came within range, they were taken 
in a net. This practice is referred to by Shakespeare in 
Henry VIII — 
“ Let his grace go forward, 
And dare us with his cap, like larks.” 
Henry VIII Act iii. Sc. 2. 
The cap in this case was the scarlet hat of the Cardinal, 
which it was intended to use as a piece of red cloth. It 
seems probable, from the context, that the word “ dare ” 
should be “ draw.” 
A bird which is often taken with larks, and which, 
indeed, is not unlike one in appearance, is the Common 
Bunting ( Emberiza miliarici). In some parts of the 
country it is known as the Bunting-Lark, and, from its size 
and general colouring, a casual observer might easily 
mistake it for one of the last-named species. No wonder, 
then, that the old lord Lafeu says:— 
“ I took this lark for a bunting.” 
All's Well that Ends Well , Act ii. Sc. 5. 
