Horned Larks in the Province of Quebec 131 



laud) is suggestive of song-ability. To laud, however, lit- 

 erally means " to praise to the skies," which is descriptive of 

 a song-habit rather than song-ability. As with our own 

 Lark its abandon and freedom of utterance are responsible 

 for the saying " merry as a lark." It is a thorough expo- 

 nent of the theory " Laugh and the world laughs with you," 

 hence the terms " sky-larking," and '' out for a lark." 



Though our own lark " praticola " has similar mannerisms 

 and delivery, the volume of its song is evidently considerably 

 less, as the average pedestrian appears to know nothing 

 about it. 



Ones opinion is a little biased in its favour on hearing the 

 first bird and the first song of spring, but after repetitions a 

 scratchv or " screechy " quality is detected. Once, while cross- 

 ing a wire fence, I was so uncharitable as to compare it with 

 the squeaking of wires pulled through the staples — but then 

 this self-same squeak was due to exertions in detaching my- 

 self from the uncharitable barbs. Another song, less com- 

 mon, though frequently heard during the nesting season, 

 especially in the early morning and at twilight, is probably 

 comparable in some degree to the performance of the Euro- 

 pean Skylark. Rising toward the sky, higher and higher, 

 the bird gradually disappears from view, and while you are 

 wondering what has become of it a glad song floats dowm, 

 softened by distance, but still distinct. It consists mainly of 

 several notes repeated over and over, sometimes as many as 

 a dozen times. For brevity I write this in my note-book " the 

 pump song." When I first heard it I was reminded of the 

 action and distant sound of a rusty hand-pump in the dry 

 season. The first notes are similar to the simple song, but 

 the bird is in super-happy mood, and continues repeating the 

 second bar. with a little screechy catch between each repe- 

 tition, and finishes — just as the water reaches the spout of 

 the pump — with a jumble of liquid notes, similar to the end- 

 ing of the simple song. This song probably has the same 

 significance as the aerial love song of the Woodcock, being 

 most commonlv heard when the female is incubating. I have 



