It is a bright spot to look back upon, in the sunny days of our youth, when in the fields, on a fine summer morning, we listened to this delightful warbler, and gazed upon him in his upward flight, until lost to our view. We could still hear him, though faintly, and still gaze up, and wonder how high he would go, until again he would come into view descending, and carrol-ling his joyful lay all the while; and on coming near he would stop singing, and shutting his wings would descend rapidly to the earth, in a slanting direction. The song of the Sky Lark is one continued strain of cheerful warbling notes, sometimes uttered high, and sometimes low. He enlivens the labors of the husbandman, is the theme of the poet, and in all illustrations of rural scenery he stands prominent.

These delightful warblers will sing well in a cage, which should be eighteen inches long, at least to give them room to run. At one end of it keep a box, two inches deep, and six or seven inches square, filled with dry sand, or fine gravel, to dust themselves in; of this, like the Shore Lark, they are very fond. At the end, a piece of green turf; this is very necessary, and should be renewed once a week, if convenient. Those who keep this bird should have turf cut in the fall, and kept in the cellar for winter use. He is delighted with every new one he gets; he will eat the grass off of it, and then stand on it and sing. The cage should not be put high up in the room; they are a very timid bird, and apt to fly suddenly up when you open the cage door to feed them, which is disagreeable; and the bird may get injured against the top of the cage. To get them tame, and keep them so, it is better to hang the cage about the height of your breast. I have known tame birds get quite wild when put up near the roof. If your bird flies about too much, and is afraid of you, hang a cloth over the cage; they do not in general spring up, except when you open the cage door. If a bird continues doing so, it may be necessary to stretch a piece of cotton cloth, as a roof to the cage, and then if it does, it will not hurt itself.

Food

I have kept these birds, without difficulty, in good health and song, on stale bread, but not sour, grated up and mixed with a small portion of hard boiled egg, adding occasionally a bit of lettuce or cabbage, and a bit of beef minced fine. I always kept a box, with some hemp seed bruised in a mortar, to eat when he wished. Keep plenty of gravel in the bottom of the cage; they do not wash much. I have seen them dip their head in the water, and no more. The box of sand is their bathing tub.

Characteristics Of The Sexes

The upper parts of the male are yellowish brown , the lower parts dusky yellow, with lengthened spots of black on the breast, a whitish ring round the eye. The female is smaller in size, destitute of the white ring round the eye, has more spots on the breast, and some on the back, and the breast is much whiter. The feathers on the crown of the male are partly elongated, and can be raised in a crest, at will.

Location

Found throughout Europe. Partially migratory.