NO
CRESTED LARK.
A/tiuda cris/a/a, GOULD.
Alattda—A Lark. Cristaia—Crested.
THE Crested Lark is a European bird, an inhabitant of Italy, Sicily,
Crete, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Hungary, France, Germany,
Poland, Holland. Belgium, and Russia, the latter in the summer, and
other countries of this continent; as also in Asia, in Siberia and Asia
.Minor, and in Egypt and other northern parts of Africa.
In this country one was shot in the county of Sussex, and another
i- said to have been killed near Taney, in Ireland; but the description
does not seem to me to correspond with that of the bird now under
consideration. Three have been shot in Cornwall, near Penzance.
It is a migratory species, moving from south to north in the spring,
a n d backwards again in the autumn.
This bird is represented as approaching near to villages and houses,
and as being rather solitary than gregarious in its habits.
Its food consists of insects of various sorts, worms, and grain.
It- song is sweet ami agreeable, and is continued till the month of
September.
The nest is placed on the ground, and is made of grasses.
The eggs are four or five in number, of a light grey colour, spotted
with light and dark brown.
Male; length, six inches and three quarters; bill, rather strong and
large, and decurved towards the point, brown along the ridge and at
the end, and paler on the sides and at the base; iris, dark brown: a
buff white streak passes from it over the eye. Head on the crown,
reddish brown, with a few of the feathers elongated, forming a crest,
and pointing backwards; neck on the back, and nape, dark brown, in
front pale yellowish brown; chin, white; throat and breast, pale yellow
brown, streaked in front and on the sides with darker brown; back,
brown, the shaft and centre of each feather dark brown. The second
quill feather of the wiug is the longest; greater and lesser wing coverts,