In my schooldays, I was told that the Skylark's long back toe
enabled the bird to move its eggs to a new nest-site, if the old one
was discovered or disturbed.
I have no idea if this is true.
Traditional version of the Skylark's song:
There's not a shoemaker on the earth
can make a shoe to me, to me!
Why so? why so? why so? why so?
Because my heel's as long's my toe!
Anthea Fleming
It’s probably my fault for reviving the
subject. Like
Peter I couldn’t find the photo at the time. I came across
one later
while looking for a photo of a Skylark in colourful
swamp-marsh growth, for a
talk. Werribee is a good place for Skylarks, perhaps the
Australian
headquarters. I do also have a photo of a Skylark on a post.
Also
on barbed wire showing its remarkably long hind-claws. So far
as I can find in
the books, the purpose of these is unknown. Perhaps someone on
this list will
know.
Geoffrey
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