138 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Mr. ]\Iac^illiviay gives an excellent and grapliic description of the habits of 

 this bird, ironi which we extract a jiortion descriptive of its song. " It has 

 been alleged," he writes, "tliat the Lark ascends in a spiral manner, but my 

 observation does not corroborate the statement. In rising it ol'ten passes di- 

 rectly upward, but with the body always horizontal, or nearly so, then moves 

 in a curve, and continues thus alternately, but witliout a continued spiral mo- 

 tion. At first, the motion of the wings is uniformly fluttering; but afterwards 

 it shoots them out two or three times successively at intervals, and when at 

 its greatest height exhibits tliis action more remarkably. Wlieu it descends, 

 the song is not intermitted, but is continued until it approaches the ground, 

 when it usually darts down headlong, and alights abruptly. Frequently it 

 resumes its song after alighting, and continues it for a short time, but more 

 commonly it stops when it has reached the ground. Often a Lark may be 

 seen hovering over a field, in full song, for a considerable time, at a small 

 height. On the 4t]i of ]\Iay, 18:^)7, I observed a Lark perched on a half- 

 burnt whin briincli, wliere it remained singing a long time. I liave often 

 seen it perch on a wall, and several times on a hawthorn liush in a hedge ; 

 but it never, I believe, alights on tall trees. 



" The song of the Lark is certainly not musical, for its notes are not finely 

 modulated, nor its tones mellow ; but it is cheerful and cheering in the high- 

 est degree, and protracted beyond ;dl comparison. In a sunny day in April 

 or ^lay, when the grass-fields have begun to resume their verdure, it is 

 pleasant to listen to the merry songster that makes the welkin ring with its 

 spriglitly notes ; in the sultr}' month of July, still more pleasant is it to 

 hear its matin hymn while the dew is yet on the corn ; and in winter, should 

 you chance to hear the well-known voice on higli, it reminds you of the 

 briglit days that have gone, and fills you witli anticipation of those that are 

 to come. No doubt mucli of the pleasure deri\ed from the Lark's song de- 

 pends upon association, but independently of circumstances and associations 

 the song of the Lark imi)arts an elasticity to the mind, elevates the spirits, 

 and suspends for a time tlie gnawing of corroding care. The carol of the 

 Lark, like the lively fife, excites pure cheerfulness. In confinement this 

 bird sings every whit as well as when at large, and when rapidly perambu- 

 lating the square bit of faded turf in its cage, it enacts its part witli appar- 

 ently as much delight as when mounting toward heaven's gate." 



This bird succeeds well in cages, and lives to a great age, Yarrell mention- 

 ing one that lived nearly twenty years in confinement. Its natural food is 

 grain, the seeds of grasses, worms, and various kinds of insects. They be- 

 gin to mate in April, and have two broods in a season. Their nest is always 

 placed on tlie ground, often sheltered by a tuft of grass, or some otlier pro- 

 tection. The nests are woven of coarse grasses and stems of plants, and 

 ai'e lined witli finer materials of the same. The eggs are five in nundier, 

 have a grayisli-wliite ground, occasionally a greenish-white, very generally 

 sprinkled and blotclied with markings of dark-gray and an ashy-brown, so 



