222 Wii,d Birds and their Haunts 



For several years the bird was noted near my home 

 On February 17th and in the early days of March its 

 song was in full cadence and could be heard at a long 

 distance. 



The weather no doubt being so mild, mystified the usual 

 date of its advent. It continued in song right up to 

 October 20th, a space of over eight months. It would 

 thus appear that it lingers longer in the north than in 

 other parts of England. 



THE Skylark is a bird much praised by all English 

 writers. Jeremy Taylor said, ' ' It did rise 

 and sing as if it had learned music and motion 

 from an angel." It sings while on the wing. At first 

 as it springs from the ground, its notes are low and 

 feeble, but its music swells as it rises and long after the 

 biro, is lo^t to the eye it continues to charm the ear with 

 its melody. Even then a practised ear will know the 

 motion of the bird by its song. 



It climbs up the sky by a flight, winding like a spiral 

 stair coastantly growing wider. It gives a swelling song 

 as it ascends, and a sinking one as it descends. It does 

 not alignt straight to the nest, but reconnoitres for a 

 time till safety is assured. The desire to throw itself 

 up when it sings is so great, even when confined, that it 

 sometimes leaps against the top of the cage, and woul 

 thus injure itself if we had not learned to prevent it by 

 lining the roof with greea baize. 



A pair of larks had hatcned a brood of young in a grass 

 field. The grass nad to be cut before the your>g ones 

 could fly ard as the mowers approached the nest, the old 

 birds were very much alarmed. Finally the mother 

 laid herself flat on the ground with wings outspread, and 

 her mate, by pulling and pushing drew one of the young 

 on her back. She flew away with that and soon re- 

 turned for another. 



This time the father took his turn, and thus they 

 carried away all the young before the mowers reached 

 the place. In spring and summer the larks live in pairs, 

 but in autumn tney gather in large flocks and before the 



