THE LARKS. 55 



sped back to their celestial home ; songs which told of a land of 

 pure delight, where the lost shall be found again, and those who 

 sorrowed and sighed upon earth shall be happy for evermore. 



Wordsworth addresses this bird as one journeying to some holy 

 place, and singing as he goes : 



" Ethereal minstrel, pilgrim of the sky." 

 And James Montgomery says to it 



" Bird of the happy heavenward song, 



Could but the poet act thy part, 

 His soul upborne on wings as strong 



As thought can give, from earth might start; 

 And he with far diviner art 



Than genius ever can supply, 

 As though the ear might glad the heart, 



And bring down music from the sky." 



Reminding one of the simile of Jeremy Taylor, a delightful old 

 English writer, who says of this Lark, that " it soared and sung as 

 it had learnt music and motion of an Angel/' But with matter like 

 this we could fill pages on pages, for no bird except the Nightingale 

 has ever been such a favourite with the poets as the " Lyric Lark" 

 which Shakespeare heard " singing at heaven's gate," and which Shelly 

 said must be a spirit and not a bird at all. 



"Hail to thee, blythe spirit, 



Bird thou never wert; 

 That from heaven or near it, 



Pourest thy full heart 

 In profuse streams of unpremeditated art." 



We should like to find room for the beautiful lyric from which 

 this and another stanza have been taken, and for many more delight- 

 ful Lark poems ; but this cannot be, so we will descend to sober prose-, 

 and tell how this chief of the British Alaudine birds, is found all over 

 Britain, but not in Ireland; nearly all over the Continent of Europe, 

 indeed even in the coldest parts, although it does not remain the 

 year through, but migrates to Greece, and Italy, and other southern 

 countries, on the approach of winter. 



In some parts of Italy, the coming of the Larks on their annual 

 southern migrations is eagerly looked for, pieces of glass and other 

 glittering objects are exhibited to attract them, and they are snared 



