THE SKYLARK. 157 



herbage, and on fluttering wing mounts the air for a few 

 feet, ere giving forth his cheery notes. Then upward, 

 apparently without effort, he sails, sometimes drifting 

 far away as he ascends, borne as it were by the ascend- 

 ing vapours, so easily he mounts the air. His notes are 

 so pure and sweet, and yet so loud and varied withal, 

 that when they first disturb the air of early morning all 

 the other little feathered tenants of the fields and hedge- 

 rows seem irresistibly compelled to join him in filling the 

 air with melody. Upwards, ever upwards, he mounts, 

 until like a speck in the highest ether he appears motion- 

 less ; yet still his notes are heard, lovely in their faint- 

 ness, now gradually growing louder and louder as he 

 descends, until when within a few yards of the earth they 

 cease, and he drops down like a fragment hurled from 

 above into the herbage, or flits above it for a short 

 "distance ere alighting. Though the Skylark warbles 

 throughout the spring and summer with unfailing powers, 

 still it is in the glorious freshness of the vernal year, when 

 all nature is putting on its refreshing sweetness, that I 

 prize his notes the best. For though the Cuckoo proclaims 

 the presence of spring from the budding branches, and 

 the Blackcap sings of leafy bowers, still the Skylark is 

 one of the first little choristers to inform us that winter 

 is already vanishing away before the soft and gentle 

 advent of spring. I would here remark that the Lark's 

 soaring flights are not at all necessary for the utterance 

 of his charming song, for he will sing just as richly on 

 the ground as when on quivering wing. His song is 

 also uttered as he wanders hither and thither in search 

 of food, but it is not perhaps so free as when the bird is 

 in the vault of heaven. The observer will find that there 

 is a considerable difference between the songs of those birds 

 who sing whilst in motion and the songs of birds who 



