16 Bird-Life in L(tljj'<i(Jor. 



fani'luir with this b autiful sougster aiui characteristic bird of 

 the region, whicli is abmulaiit all ah)iig the uortli shores of the 

 St. Lawrence from Quebec to Bell Isle. At Green Island, 

 in the River St. I^awrence, I fouml the lark quite coninion. 

 At that time it was rather tame, and could be seen on the low 

 flats of the island hopping about and feeding in close company 

 with the sandpipers. They were all single birds and not flocks. 

 I saw them all the Fall at Old Fort Island, both alone and in 

 hirge flocks, always more or less wild. I would often see them 

 flying very high in the air, and uttering their ])eculiar quer- 

 ulous whistling notes; sometimes flying quite low and some- 

 what irregularly, but uttering their notes at all times while on 

 the wing. Though common everywhere, they seemed to lead 

 a sort of wild, solitary life that comported well with the wild, 

 solitary region in which they dwelt; they jireferred the plains, 

 flelds, and rocky knolls away from houses where they would 

 hop about in twos or threes, or small flocks, picking up their 

 food ; occasionally they would perch on the tops of knolls as if 

 to reconnoiter, then retire and go to feeding again as if satisfied 

 that no enemy was near ; they are very quick and active in their 

 movements, and always wild rather than tame save in the late 

 Summer, when the parents and young together will feed about 

 the door-yards as familiarly as if never wild. This period 

 usually lasts a month or six weeks and then all are oft'together, 

 as wild as ever. They breed abundantly everywdiere, often a 

 few yards from the houses as well as in the large meadow lands 

 miles from any habitation. Everywhere you go in I^abrador 

 you will meet w^ith the lark. I saw them often on the shore, 

 and feeding on the kelp in company with the white-rumped 

 sandpiper, but never mingling with them as far as I could see. 

 As their brown color corresponds so well with the color of 

 the ground, it w^as often hard to detect them until a few shrill 

 whistles and a hurried flight announced their flushing a short 

 distance ahead. Several that I shot were really quite re- 

 markable for the amount of pink upon them. At times large 

 flocks fly over the island high up in the air, while one of these 



