The ALPINE LARK, or SHORE LARK (_Phileremos alpestris_), is one of the
liveliest members of its family, both as relates to its plumage and
disposition, and may be regarded as forming, with a few other species,
a distinct group remarkable for the elongation of the body, and two
appendages resembling feathery horns, with which the back of the head is
furnished. The beak is straight, weak, and of moderate size; the wings
long, with the second, third, and fourth primaries almost of equal
length; the feet are strong, the toes of moderate size, and the hinder
toe armed with a slightly curved, spur-like claw. The plumage of this
bird is variegated in its tints; the length of its body is about seven
inches, the breadth thirteen; the wings measure four, and the tail three
inches. The Alpine Lark is an inhabitant of Northern Europe, and is
easily recognisable by its elegant and striking appearance. Upon the back
the feathers are of a reddish grey; the wings and tail black, bordered
with dark brown; the breast and belly of a very pale yellowish grey, so
light as to be nearly white. The markings upon the head are extremely
beautiful: the brow is of a dull yellow, the region of the ear yellowish
grey, enlivened by a bright brimstone-coloured line, which passes over
the eyes, and gradually spreads till the throat and sides of the neck
are of the same colour. The upper part of the breast is decorated with
a triangular patch of velvety black, the cheeks, base of the beak, a
streak upon the head, and the tufts being of the same rich deep shade.
The eye is light brown, the beak and feet of a blueish tint. The coat of
the nestlings is of a pale brownish grey upon the back, all the feathers
edged with light yellow; the belly is white, and the individual feathers
furnished with a pale yellow border; the wing and tail feathers are brown.
[Illustration: THE ALPINE LARK (_Phileremos alpestris_).]
The name of the Alpine Lark is derived, not from the Swiss Alps, but from
the mountains of Siberia, and the rest of Northern Europe, where, at the
present day, it is met with in large numbers, though until within the
last fifty years it was considered to be one of the rarest birds in our
continent. According to our own observations, this species is not found
at a greater elevation than 400 or 500 feet above the level of the sea.
In Lapland it lives near the coast. These Larks quit the more northern
countries at the end of October, and return about April, when they at
once commence preparations for their young. The nest is most carefully
constructed, and neatly lined with fine blades of grass, cotton wool, and
other delicate materials, a slight hollow being prepared in the ground
for its reception; in this the little cradle is so well concealed as
to be only discoverable by a practised eye. The brood consists of from
four to five eggs, of about the same size as those of the common Field
Lark; they are usually yellow, and covered with very fine markings of a
deeper shade, which take the form of a wreath around the broadest end;
varieties are, however, occasionally found exhibiting grey streaks, or
brown hair-like lines. In its habits this species closely resembles the
Field Lark; indeed, the movements of the two are so exactly similar as
to render it almost impossible to distinguish between them, either when
on the ground or in the air: the Alpine Lark, however, sings either
when perched or sitting upon a stone, and not, like its more southern
representative the Field Lark, only when soaring in the air. It subsists
chiefly upon seeds and insects, feeding its young principally upon the
gnats and larvæ abounding in its favourite resorts.
* * * * *
The LARKS PROPER (_Alauda_) are distinguished from the birds just
described by their more slender beaks, short wings, and simple plumage,
but closely resemble them in other particulars.