72 



THE OOLOQI8T 



quivering on the clear pure atmos- 

 pliere, a melody of bird music tliat at 

 once riveted us to the spot, and we 

 instantly sought to discover the merry 

 singer. There would come a' burst of 

 rollicking notes that sounded like a 

 mixture of tinkling soft toned bells in- 

 terwoven with the softer keys of a 

 harp prolonged for several minutes, 

 then suddenly dying away in the dis- 

 tance, and again breaking forth after 

 the lapse of a short interval. Again, 

 and again catne those pleasing notes; 

 and again were we completely foiled 

 in discovering the songster. Now it 

 came from one quarter, and the next 

 time heard its echoes were from an 

 entirely different direction A full 

 half hour was spent in vain attempt 

 to reveal the mystery; and in almost 

 despair we cast ourselves prone on 

 the ground, face to the sky, resolving 

 to hold our ground till the mystery 

 was revealed. Another half hour spent 

 following the echoes which came from 

 an unknown quarter, we at last caught 

 sight of the merest speck in the sky, 

 far, far away in the blue ether over- 

 head. Our eyes were riveted on this 

 little speck in the heavens and for a 

 long time we watched the motions of 

 that moving little sprite. It zigzagged 

 across the field of vision, now here, 

 now there, north, south, east, west, 

 its fllight slow and steady and ac- 

 companied at slight intervals with its 

 ear charming notes. Having miles of 

 distance yet to cover on somewhat 

 tired feet, we did not wait the con- 

 clusion of the concert and as it did 

 not seem likely to soon terminate, we 

 plodded on our way and the singer 

 and his song were soon lost in the 

 distance. 



Several years sped by, and though 

 we often heard the singer and were 

 enraptured with his song, its identi- 

 fication was not revealed. At last it 

 came about in this way. 



While out one day watching the 

 stealthy movement of the Lark, one 

 on which our eyes were centered, it 

 suddenly mounted a lone boulder in 

 the grass, sat and preened himself 

 for a few moments, then as quickly 

 sprang into the air and began an as- 

 cent. Up, up, by degrees, it made its 

 way, and when but a mere speck in 

 the sky, then burst forth in all its 

 glory its song, at the same time be- 

 ginning its eccentric movements 

 across the blue ether. Stretched at 

 full length on the sod we lay, looked 

 and listened, this time determined to 

 see the performance through. For a 

 full hour we waited, our eyes fixed 

 only on that black speck in the sky. 

 All at once there was silence, a 

 folding of wing, and with the speed 

 of an errow sprung from a bow of 

 steel, the bird shot earthwards, landed 

 on the very boulder from whence it 

 made the ascent, and a moment later 

 was hidden silent and alone in the 

 grassy sward hard by. 



In the eleven years spent pn these 

 wide stretching plains of South Da- 

 kota, did we but once witness this 

 performance of the American Sky 

 Lark; but the same will ever linger 

 in our memory as a grand and free 

 entertainment, that this bird some- 

 times gives to the born Naturalist 

 who watches and waits for the un- 

 rivaled display of his powers in song. 

 These displays are infrequent as only 

 when in the sky does this bird utter 

 a single note, only those of a minor 

 key. Such is one of the wonders to be 

 found in the bird world, and is proof 

 OOLOGIST— THREE 

 that much of Nature's Kingdom may 

 remain unrevealed save to him alone 

 who diligently seeks to unlock them. 



W. H. H. Barker. M D., 



Harvey, Iowa. 

 April 24, 1921. 



