The Skylark 245 



THE SKYLARK. (Alauda arvensis.) 



" Go, tuneful bird, that gladd'st the skies, 

 To Daphne's window speed thy way ; 

 And there on quivering pinions rise, 

 And there thy vocal art display." 



SHENSTONE. 



THE SKYLARK is distinguished from most other birds by 

 the long spur on the back toe, the earthy colour of his 

 feathers, and by singing as he mounts in the air. These 

 birds generally make their nest in meadows among the 

 high grass, and the tint of their plumage resembles so 

 much that of the ground, that the body of the bird is 

 hardly distinguishable as it runs along. 



The daisied lea he loves, where tufts of grass 

 Luxuriant crown the ridge : there, with his mate, 

 He founds their lonely house, of withered herbs, 

 And coarsest spear-grass ; next the inner work, 

 With finer, and still finer fibres lays, 

 Rounding it curious with his speckled breast." 



GKAHAME. 



Larks breed twice a year, in May and July, rearing 

 their young in a short space of time. They are caught 

 in great quantities in winter, and are considered choice 

 and delicate food. It is a melancholy observation, that 

 man should feed upon, and indulge his sense of taste 

 with those very birds which have so often delighted his 

 sense of hearing with their songs, when they usher to 



