LARK-GLASS. 127 



tlie bird itself, I feel tempted to give you a brief 

 description of it. 



The soi-disant sportsman provides himself with 

 a certain implement called a lark-glass, which 

 may be fashioned in different ways, according to 

 the taste or whim of the fabricator. The follow- 

 ing is a rough sketch from a highly approved 

 article of this kind — a regular syren in its way — 

 which had lured many thousands to their doom. 



A piece of wood, about a foot and a half long, 

 four inches deep, and three inches wide, is planed 

 off on two sides, so as to resemble the roof of a 

 well-known toy yclept a Noah's ark, but more 

 than twice its usual length. In the sloping sides 

 are set several bits of looking-glass. An iron 

 spindle, the lower end of which is sharp and fixed 

 in the ground, passes freely through the centre; 

 on this the instrument turns, and even spins ra- 

 pidly when a string has been attached and is 

 pulled by the performer, who generally stands at 

 a distance of fifteen or twenty yards from the 

 decoy. The reflection of the sun's rays from 

 these little revolving mirrors seems to possess a 

 mysterious attraction for the larks, for they de- 

 scend in great numbers from a considerable height 

 in the air, hover over the spot, and suffer them- 

 selves to be shot at repeatedly without attempt- 

 ing to leave the field or to continue their course. 



