SONGS BEFORE SPRING 



merry mood; and Jenny-wren. Over the garden's 

 frontiers a wood-pigeon was crooning its pleasant 

 " Coo coo hoo, coo hoo," in tune with the Spring feeling 

 of the January day. The flute-like call of a nuthatch also 

 rang through the garden, and a starling whistled finely 

 from a weather-vane. It was as if all were uniting to 

 practise Spring's overture. 



THE lark finds good cover even in close-reaped stubbles ; 



that there may be hundreds in one lifeless- 

 The looking field is made clear when some 



Laverock smart terrier or lurcher has found the joys 



of lark-hunting, and races about intent on 

 putting up every bird. The cover is enough to give 

 them security, and they may be seen standing erect to 

 watch the dog, then crouching awhile before drifting 

 away from under his nose as he rushes upon them like 

 a fury. In mild Januaries the larks practise the songs 

 they will bestow upon us so abundantly through the 

 year, singing for nine out of the twelve months, in the 

 Summer singing by starshine, soaring to find the sun 

 long before he has risen. 



THE January singing of skylarks seems to be much in- 

 spired by jealousy. As two sing aloft, below 

 Songs of in the clover there may be a fair hen listening 

 Jealousy in critical judgment. Philomel's voice is a 

 lure to other birds, which draw near with 

 challenging songs ; the thrush will give what seems like 

 a mocking imitation of some of the matchless phrases. 

 One day last May a foraging blackcap was singing 

 softly, humming a tune, as it were that murmurous 

 " inward melody " when a blackbird whistled from the 



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