CHONDESTIiS GRAMMACA. 469 



where it nested almost invariably in the small oak trees at heights varying 

 from 15 to 30 feet from the ground; while, on the other hand, in southern 

 Illinois, where the proportionate area of wood-land is nnich gi-eater, we 

 never found a nest of this species except on the ground, notwithstanding 

 many nests were found.' 



The principal characteristic of the Lark Span-ow is the excellence of 

 its song, which far surpasses that of any other member of the family we 

 have ever heard, while in sprightliness and continuity, qualities so often 

 lacking in our finer singers, we do not know its equal in any bird. 

 We have not heard the song of the famed Skylark (Alauda arvemis), but 

 from numerous descriptions imagine it to be somewhat similar in character 

 to that of the present bird ; and we very seriously doubt whether it is 

 superior, if, indeed, it should prove equal. The Lark Sparrow sings all day 

 long, even during the hottest part of summer, beginning in the early mora 

 before any other bird, and not ceasing until the darkening of the evening 

 shades have quieted the other songsters; often, in fact, have we been awak- 

 ened at night by its song when all else was quiet. The song of this bird 

 begins mth a chant of clear, ringing notes, each uttered with great distinct- 

 ness ; then follows a silvery trill — the veiy expression of emotion — and then 

 a succession of sprightly, sparkling notes, varied by rising and falling 

 cadences, finally dying awa^y until scarcely audible, but immediately resumed 

 in all its sprightliness and vigor, and continued as before, until the singer 

 seems actually exhausted by his efforts. 



At Sacramento this bird is known as the Mexican Lark; it was 

 familiar to all the boys, who in season eagerly searched for its nests in 

 order to obtain the young, which were readily sold in the city for S4.00 

 per pair. 



' Many other birds exhibit the same variability in the selection of a site for their 

 nests. A notoriously variable species is Carpo(lacu.s frontulis (see p. i'>Q); and Ztiucditra 

 caroUnennis is another case in point, this species, in the name locality, nesting inditler- 

 ently on the gronnd, on the top of a stnmp or rock, on a flat fence rail, in a tree, or on 

 the remnant of an old nest of another species. Sir. E. \V. Nelson njforms me that he 

 fonnd a nest of Pipilo erythrophthalmus in a bush, a foot or two from the ground, on Fox 

 Prairie, Illinois; while at Mt. Caniiel, in the same State, we have found a nest of 

 Agtiam phaniccus in an elm tree, full 20 feet from the ground, and a nest of Cyanura 

 cristata inside uf a barn. 



