THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 139 



without beats ; sometimes it closes its 

 wings, a movement which causes it to dip 

 into the air ; but suddenly it spreads them 

 out, and by several vigorous strokes, rises 

 again. Thus, by a series of such sudden 

 drops and hovering after each new level 

 is reached, as it draws near to earth, the 

 song ceases and the minstrel drops like 

 a stone within a few feet of the ground. 

 Before, however, finally reaching terra 

 firma, it either again shoots upwards at 

 once or sweeps away with an almost 

 horizontal course for a few yards, and 

 alighting on the ground disappears in the 

 herbage. The European Sky-Lark has 

 been noticed ^-at times to sing on the 

 ojround or from a fence-rail or bush". 

 Having similar habits, it is very probable 

 that the Indian bird also does so. Though 

 the Bharat frequently mounts up to an 

 invisible height in its flight sky- wards, 

 there is no rec ord of the altitude to which 

 it ascends. The European bird has been 

 seen at a height of 6,000 feet from the 



