176 



NORTH AMERICAX BIRDS. 



him from the earth's surface. After ha\'iug travelled in quest of them, to 

 no purpose, to many distant parts of the prairies, he at last discovered that 



these sounds jiroceeded from several 

 of these birds soaring at so great an 

 elevation as to make them difficult to 

 discover by the eye, even in the trans- 

 parent atmosphere of tliat country. 



They are described as running grace- 

 fully on the ground, at times squat- 

 ting to observe tlie movements of tlie 

 intruders, and again elevating their 

 xcocorys s,na^,m. bodies as if to meet their approach. 



Eising from tlie ground, they fly in an undulating manner, so that it is 

 extremely difficidt to shoot them on the wing. They continue thus to fly 

 in increasing circles until about a hundred yards high, when thej- begin to 

 sing. After a while, suddenly closing their wings, they drop to the ground. 

 They could be easily approached in a light wagon, and in tliis manner 

 several specimens were obtained. 



Captain Blakiston (Ibis, V. fil) found this Skylark common on the prairies 

 of tlie Saskatchewan during the breeding-season. He first met with it on 

 the 6th of May, near Fort Carlton. When disturbed from the grass, its 

 usual haunt, it utters a single chirp, and immediately mounts in the air by 

 a circuitous course, M'ith a very undulating flight, to a great height, where 

 with outstretched wings it soars in a peculiar manner, and utters a very 

 striking song. Tliis is described as consisting of a (piick succession of 

 notes, in a descending scale, each note lieing lower than the preceding. The 

 bird then descends to the ground with gi-eat rapidity, almost like a stone, 

 and somewhat in the manner of a hawk swooping on its prey. It w;is 

 difficult of approach, and not easily killed. He also observed these biixls in 

 J^orthern Minnesota, IMa}' 4, 1859. 



A nest of this bird was built on the ground and placed in a lioUow. It 

 was made of fine grasses interwoven into a circular form, but without any 

 lining. The eggs were four or five in number, an oblong oval in shape, much 

 pointed at one end, and measuring .87 of an inch in length by .63 in breadth. 

 Their ground-color was a dull white, so minutely dotted with a grayish- 

 purple as to give the ^^■h(Jlo egg a homogeneous appearance, as of that 

 uniform color. 



The young larks, soon after being hatched, followed their parents on the 

 ground, and were fed with seeds of the smaller ])lants and with insects. 

 They had already begun to associate in small flocks of from eight to a dozen 

 before tlie party left, and on tliu IGtIi of August had commenced their 

 southern migrations. 



