BIRDS. 



555 



Farther south in South America live the oven-birds. These receive 

 their name from their peculiar nests. These the bird builds of clay scraped 

 from the neighboring puddles, firmly packed together, and dried in the 

 sun, so that it is almost as hard as a brick. The nests are about a foot in 

 diameter, and are shaped something like a spiral shell, and contains no 

 soft lining, the eggs lying directly on the clayey bottom. 



The skylark of Europe is one of the most celebrated of birds. Orni- 

 thologists and poets unite in their praise of its wondrous song. It rises 

 from the earth in an almost vertical direction, singing as it flies, and it 

 continues its song until it soars clear out of sight ; and yet, if the day be 

 still, one can hear the same song coming down from above, so powerful is 

 it. Says Shelley : — 



"The pale purple even 



Melts around thy flight ; 

 Like a star of heaven 



In the broad daylight 

 Thou art unseen, but yet I hear thy shrill delight." 



Some years ago an attempt was made near New York to introduce the 

 skylark into our country. Fortunately it was not successful ; fortunately 

 — for this bird with all its beauteous song would have proved but little 

 less of a pest than does the English sparrow. 



Our only representative of the larks is the shore-lark, with its curious 

 ' horns,' or i ears,' on the side of the head. It is a resident of our west- 

 ern states, and breeds there ; but in 

 the east they are seen only in the 

 colder months, as they go north to 

 Labrador and Newfoundland to rear 

 their young. 



We have just said that the shore- 

 lark is the only representative of the 

 larks in America ; but there are cer- 

 tain of the pipits and wagtails which 

 share the name, one even rejoicing 

 in the name skylark. These are 

 mostly found around water, and have the habit of jerking their tails, when 

 .on the ground, in a most peculiar manner. 



In almost every work on the east the bulbuls occupy a prominent 

 place ; the poets of India and Persia sing their praise just as their brothers 

 of the west do those of the lark and the nightingale. And yet it would 

 appear that their music is far inferior to that of the European birds men- 

 tioned. The bulbuls are sociable birds, and fond of staving in the neigh- 



Fig. 457. — Shore-lark (Otocoris alpestris). 



