Skylark, a European lark,
Alauda arvensis, the lark of Great Britain, a universal favorite on account of the sweetness of its song. It is in great repute as a cage bird and sings well in confinement, fluttering its wings while singing. It abounds in open but cultivated districts and is common in most parts of Europe, but from the north it migrates southward before winter. It is a native of Asia and a winter visitant to north Africa.
The skylark has been introduced into America and has become naturalized on Long Island. It makes its nest generally in an open field and often under shelter of a tuft of herbage or a clod of earth, lays four or five mottled eggs, and generally produces two broods in a season. The skylark is not gregarious in summer, but in winter large flocks assemble, and at this season many are taken for food in the south of Europe by trapping.
