Part 23

THE ROOK Corvus frugilegus, Linnæus

There is no more delightful sound in early spring than the "caw" of the Rooks at their "rookeries," as their breeding places are called. Year after year they return regularly to the same clump of trees, on the tops of which they build a fairly substantial nest of sticks, with an inner foundation of mud which is in turn warmly lined with roots, straw, and fine grass. The sites chosen for their homes are more frequently than not near human habitations or on clumps of trees near a highway, and exceptionally, they may choose pollards or low bushes, but as a rule the nests are never less than twenty feet from the ground. The eggs are bluish, with olive brown spots and blotches resembling those of the Carrion Crow, but smaller and more variable.

The young leave the nest just before they can fly, and may then be seen sitting on the topmost branches of the trees as they sway in the wind. This is the time when they are shot for rook-pies, and also under the impression that if they are not thinned out the colony will be deserted. For this belief we are not aware that any proof exists, but curiously enough colonies left to themselves tend to diminish. These birds are rather capricious and will occasionally, even in the nesting season, desert the colony; the presence in the neighbourhood of a pair of Carrion Crows is sometimes the cause, but more often than not the reason is not apparent. As soon as the young can fly, towards the middle or end of May, the rookery is deserted: old and young keep together and wander about the fields and arable land, digging deeply with their powerful bills in search of larvæ and grubs, and destroying countless numbers of wire worms, that renowned pest to agriculture. In this country it does not migrate to any extent; certain plantations are used as regular roosting-places, and as evening draws on in the winter months, long strings of these birds may be seen slowly flying in their heavy characteristic manner to their nightly shelter. Although the flight appears heavy and laboured, they in reality travel at no mean pace, and in their daily search for food often cover great distances. As in the case of Jackdaws and Jays, there is a large immigration yearly on our east coast during October and November, for in Scandinavia and the northern portions of its breeding range it is a regular migrant. Throughout the whole of our islands it is a common bird, but is rather more local in Scotland, and it is only of recent years that it has regularly bred in the extreme north. From continual digging in the ground the feather follicles round the base of the bill become destroyed, leaving a whitish patch of bare skin which is an unfailing characteristic of the adult birds. In young individuals, however, the feathers extend to the base of the bill and do not appear to be permanently lost till during the second autumn moult. The sexes are alike; their colour is a uniform deep and glossy purplish blue. The young resemble their parents, but lack the gloss to their feathers. Length 19 in.; wing 12·65 in.

THE SKYLARK Alauda arvensis, Linnæus

Of all other birds the Lark is perhaps the one which typifies most thoroughly the freedom of life, and brings to our minds scenes of wide open country, where, bright, free, and unrestrained, he pours forth his song in the boundless expanse of the air.

Hatched in a neat nest of bents and dry grass lined with finer materials and placed on the ground in the middle of an open field, the youthful Lark has early to contend with enemies. Mice and other ground vermin, or the heavy foot of some grazing cattle, frequently destroy the nest and its contents, and the fact that so many escape must be largely ascribed to good luck.

His food is of a very varied nature and nothing comes amiss. The young are fed exclusively on insects, but after leaving the nest they spend their time eagerly feeding on seeds, berries, or anything that comes their way. As summer wanes, giving place to autumn, they collect in large flocks and seek the stubble fields, where the scattered grain gives them abundant nourishment, and on which they become very fat. It is at such times, while they are asleep by night, that they are netted by hundreds for the market. This form of catching can, however, only be successfully carried out shortly after dark on the blackest of nights, for, like all wild animals, they seem to rest with one eye open, and should there be the faintest glimmer of light they will be up and away long before the bird-catcher is near them. In October they become restless, and many wander to the coast, and thence to other countries, their place being taken by the inhabitants of more northerly climates. So the months pass, until a northerly gale and severe frost moves even these hardy northerners, and at such times they may be seen migrating in millions (for they travel almost entirely by day), relentlessly pursuing a southerly course in front of the biting norther. With a change of wind and temperature a large number will drift back again, but the movement will not be so noticeable, and thus they pass their lives, wandering wherever the weather and food may dictate, till in the very early days of spring, or even on fine days throughout the winter, we may hear their voluble song, breathing as it does the joy of freedom in every note. This is almost always uttered on the wing. Springing from the ground with rapid, fluttering wings, he rises perpendicularly higher and higher till he is almost lost to sight in the clouds, though his song still drifts down to us with unaffected clearness; higher and higher he goes, and then in a spiral curve he slowly descends, the song ceasing as he reaches a spot within a few feet of where he rose.

Nest-building is begun in April, and several broods are reared in a season, the song being continued except when he is actually feeding young in the nest.

The adult has the general plumage of a warm brownish tint, mottled and streaked with a darker shade. There is a light-coloured superciliary streak. The chin, throat, and upper breast and flanks are brownish buff streaked with brown, rest of under parts yellowish white. The sexes are alike in plumage but the female is rather smaller. Bird-catchers measure them from tip to tip of the expanded wings, rejecting those which are under one foot, as females. The young have the chin and throat unspotted, and have pale edgings to the feathers of the upper parts. Length about 7 in.; wing (of male) 4 to 5 in.

THE WOOD LARK Alauda arborea, Linnæus

The Wood Lark is a much rarer bird than the Skylark, and very local in distribution. Rows of trees bordering open fields are the localities chiefly favoured by this species, which, except that it frequently perches, and may often be heard singing from the topmost branch of a tree, much resembles its commoner congener in habits. It feeds almost entirely on the ground, living chiefly on insects. The nest is placed a few yards from the hedge and composed of bents and grass, with a lining of finer materials. The eggs, usually four in number, are of a creamy ground colour, very thickly freckled with reddish brown markings. This species may be most easily distinguished by its song, which is much sweeter and fuller in tone than that of the preceding bird, but lacks the power and exuberance. When rising from the ground to sing, it always does so in a wide spiral curve, differing in that respect also from the Skylark, which rises straight.

The sexes are alike in plumage and resemble the Skylark, but it is a smaller bird and has a short hind toe and is more heavily streaked on the back. Length 6 in.; wing 3·6 in.

THE CRESTED LARK Alauda cristata, Linnæus

The Crested Lark is a common species on the Continent, even as close to our shores as the north of France, but very few examples have been known to stray to this country. It is not gregarious like the Common Skylark, and the song is not usually uttered on the wing, but in food and other habits it does not differ much from our well-known species.

In general colour this species is much duller, and the beak is longer and stouter than the Skylark, but its chief characteristics are the long pointed crest, the large bastard primary, and the absence of white on the tail. Length 6·75 in.; wing 4·1 in.

THE SHORT-TOED LARK Alauda brachydactyla, Leisler

This bird is a resident, or partial migrant, throughout the whole of Southern Europe, but it has been known to occur in Northern Germany, Belgium, and the north of France. In Great Britain about half-a-dozen examples have been taken at various times in the south and east.

Very similar in appearance to other Larks, but, as its name indicates, the hind claw is short. The under parts are white and unspotted except for a few streaks on the sides of the neck. Length 5·5 in.; wing 3·4 in.

THE WHITE-WINGED LARK Alauda sibirica, J. F. Gmelin

This species breeds across Central Russia and through the Kirghiz steppes as far as the Altai, migrating southwards in winter. Has only once occurred in England. The bill is short and stout, and this species may be at once recognised by the white inner primaries and secondaries, which form a conspicuous patch. Length 7·5 in.; wing 4·6 in.

THE BLACK LARK Melanocorypha yeltoniensis (Forster)

This species inhabits South Russia, Transcaspia, and Western Siberia. In the winter of 1906 a small flock, consisting of both males and females, arrived in Sussex, being presumably driven westwards owing to the severity of the weather.

The male has the entire plumage jet black, but in winter this colour is largely obscured by broad sandy margins to the feathers. The female is pale sandy brown with darker markings, under parts white, spotted on the throat and breast. Length about 7·7 in.; wing 5·3 in.

SHORE LARK Otocorys alpestris (Linnæus)

A very different bird is this from the other Larks with which we have been dealing. He is seldom seen in this country, and then only in small numbers and at irregular periods.

The wide tundras of the North form his home, and there he may be found plentifully, but as the long Arctic day gives way to the cold black night, he reluctantly retires and passes the winter in the temperate portions of the northern hemisphere. In these islands we are just on the fringe of his wanderings, and almost every year a few stragglers put in an appearance on our eastern coast in autumn; their visits are of but short duration, and as a rule they quickly pass away southwards. With very severe weather on the Continent, however, they may appear in some numbers towards midwinter, and at such times remain with us till at the first sign of coming spring they are off again to their dearly loved home in the North.

General colour above pale sandy brown, tinged with rufous on the back of the head and nape. Forehead and a superciliary stripe white; a band across the head, lores, cheeks, and a triangular band across the chest, black; rest of under parts white, inclined to rufous on the breast and flanks. The female is smaller and duller. Length about 7 in.; wing 4·4 in.

THE SWIFT Cypselus apus (Linnæus)