8 Sketches of Some Common Birds. 



the green and yellow of the dandelions and buttercups. 

 Indeed, he will be well compensated if he is afield even 

 before the snows of February and March have disap- 

 peared. Each month has its characteristic birds, and the 

 species most abundant and prominent in the earlier sea- 

 son are more easily studied because of the absence of 

 others whose presence might distract the attention of the 

 bird-gazer. 



PEAIKIE HORNED LAEK. 



The first genial daj'S of February or early March in- 

 vite us to walk beyond the limits of the village or city, 

 for we hope that the bright sunshine may encourage voice 

 and activity among the birds. Along a road between 

 meadows we continue our ramble, and soon the familiar 

 song of a bird is wafted to our ears, a song possessing a 

 charm for us not recognized in the performances of musi- 

 cians of the later season. Climbing the fence and enter- 

 ing the meadow, which has patches of snow yet lingering 

 in the depressions and lower areas, we scan the ground 

 to discover the cheery songster. We have recognized the 

 notes as those of the prairie horned lark, the only real 

 lark belonging to the avi-fauna of this section. The so- 

 called meadow lark is more properly a starling, and is 

 therefore not a member of the family Alaudidoe^ to which 

 the horned" lark belongs. The notes of the horned lark 

 have a very misleading effect, and as Lowell wrote of 

 another avian friend, 



" Far distant sounds the hidden chickadee 

 Close at my side," 



80 the horned lark sounds far distant when it is really 

 quite close. At times the notes seem to come from a point 

 far in advance of us, and at other times to arise from the 

 ground nearer us. They form a queer, lisping song, be- 

 ginning with two or three syllables uttered slowly, and 

 ending with a series of hurried, blending notes in ascending 



