Lark, a conirostral bird of the family alau-didce, coming in many respects near the finches. The family characters are: a short and conical bill with the frontal feathers extending along the sides; the first primary very short or wanting; the tarsi scutellate before and behind; the hind claw very long and nearly straight; the tertials greatly elongated beyond the secondaries and nearly as long as the primaries. The genus alauda (Linn.) belongs to the old world, and is found on plains and cultivated lands, migrating to the south in winter; many species sing while rising into the air in large circles or in a perpendicularly spiral manner to a very great height; the flight is undulating; they walk and run with ease. The food consists of grains, small seeds, grasshoppers, gnats, and small worms; the nest is usually placed in the grass on the ground. The sky lark or field lark (A. arvensis, Linn.), so celebrated in poetry for its song, is very generally distributed over Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. It is about 7 1/2 in. long and 15 in extent of wings; the general color of the upper parts in both sexes is light reddish brown with darker streaks, the fore neck the same with brownish black spots, the sides streaked with dusky, the lower parts dull white, an obscure brownish white band over the eye, the quills and the outer tail feathers edged with white, and the iris hazel.

Though the plumage is dull, the form is elegant; its song is not finely modulated nor mellow, but it is exceedingly cheerful and prolonged, and in early morning sounding from on high when the bird is entirely out of sight; this, combined with its extraordinary power of flight, has associated the lark with the most delightful recollections of rural life. It would be very difficult to imitate its song musically; it is occasionally uttered when the bird is on the ground, but usually as it commences its flight; the character of its different strains is such that it is said that one accustomed to the song can tell whether the bird be ascending, stationary, or descending. "When on the ground larks are in the habit of crouching, so as to be perceived with difficulty; they rarely if ever alight on trees. They begin to pair in early spring, at which time their song begins, continuing until the middle of autumn; the four or five eggs are greenish gray, irregularly freckled with darker. The lark rests on the ground at night; its principal enemies are weasels and the smaller hawks. Its flesh is eaten, though inferior to that of the thrushes.

It is often kept as a cage bird, even in America, as it sings nearly as well in confinement as when at liberty; to prevent injury from its soaring propensities, it is usual to pad the top of the cage. - The wood lark (A. arborea, Linn.) resembles the preceding in plumage, but is a smaller bird, being 6 1/6 in. long, with an extent of wings of 12 in.; the habits are like those of the sky lark, except that it inhabits woody places and frequently perches on trees; the song, though less diversified, is more melodious, and has been considered inferior only to that of the nightingale; the eggs are pale yellowish brown, with darker lines and freckles. - The only genus of the family found in North America is eremopliila (Boie), having no spurious first primary; it has a pectoral crescent and cheek patches of black. The American sky lark or shore lark (E. alpestris, Boie; genus otocoris, Bonap.) is about 7 1/2 in. long, with an extent of wings of 14 in.; the color above is pinkish brown, streaked with dusky on the back; a broad band across the crown, patch from bill below the eye, crescent on throat, and tail feathers black; frontal band over eye, under parts, outer edge of wings, and tail white, and chin and throat yellow; the colors are lighter in some specimens than in others, especially in winter.

The principal peculiarity in the plumage consists in two erectile pointed tufts of feathers on the sides of the head, somewhat resembling the ears of the owls. It is distributed from Labrador over the prairies and desert plains of North America, visiting the Atlantic states especially in winter, when it is very fat and much esteemed as food. Audubon found this lark breeding on the desolate shores of Labrador, making its nest in the mosses and lichens in the beginning of July; the eggs, four or five, are grayish, with numerous pale blue and brown spots; it returns to the south in the early part of September. The song of the males on the wing is very sweet, though comparatively short. The food consists of seeds, insects, and larvae, and minute crustaceans on the seashore. - Birds of the family sylvicolidce, of the genus anthus (Licht.), generally called larks, will be described under Titlark; the red-breasted and meadow larks are starlings, of the family icteridce, and will be noticed under Starling and Meadow Lark.

Sky Lark (Alauda arvensis).

American Sky Lark (Eremophila cornuta).