Identifier: britainsbirdsthe00thom (find matches)
Title: Britain's birds and their nests
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Thomson, Arthur Landsborough, Sir, 1890- Thomson, J. Arthur (John Arthur), 1861-1933 Rankin, George
Subjects: Birds -- Great Britain Birds -- Nests
Publisher: London : W. & R. Chambers
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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he nest and makes its first feeble attemptsat flight. It learns quickly and is soon independent of itsparents for food. Often they rear a second, and some-times a third, brood before the season is over. The Skylark itself is not a very typical Passerine. Itmakes a slight nest on the ground, and lays fromthree to five eggs of a protective gray and brown hue.Two broods are reared in a season. With its appearance,song, and general habits every one is familiar. It is afrequenter of the lowland open lands, waste or cultivated.There it is found throughout the year in almost everycorner of the British Isles ; but the individuals are migra-tory in marked degree, and their movements to, from, andwithin om- area are of an extremely complex natui-e. THE WOOD=LARK (Alauda arborea). The Wood-Lark breeds very locally in England andWales, and has nested in the east of Ireland. It maybe distinguished by its smaller size, less pronounced crest,shorter tail, and the broad huffish - white eye - streaks.
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Plate 71. RAVE N—Cor Vus cor ax. Length, 25 in. ; wing, 17 in. (PasSERES : Corvidse.)2c 280 BRITAINS BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 231 The nesting habits do not differ widely from the Sky-larks. The eggs are pale greenish white, with specks orzones of a brown or purple colour. The name of thespecies is often misapplied to the Tree-Pipit. Family, CORVIDtE (Crows). THE RAVEN (Corvus corax).Plate 71. From the earliest times the Raven and its kin havebeen regarded as birds of evil omen, and have figuredas such in popular verse and story. Even yet, amongthe rural populations of many lands, the superstitiondies hard. The reason for it is not far to seek. Inthe minds of northern peoples especially, night, darkness,blackness have always been symbolic of the adversepowers of nature; and long tradition, surviving in present-day language and convention, has associated the colourwith plague and pestilence, death and sorrow. Nowonder, then, that the Raven has an evil name, forhe is blackness personifie

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