104 THE SKYLABK. 



ORDER PASSERES. 



The Skylark, or Lavrock. 

 Alauda Arvensis. LINN. 



NATURE, varied in all her works, has no mono- 

 tonous uniformity to weary us, whatever quarter 

 of her kingdom we examine. How diversified 

 are the forms, the habits, and the songs of our 

 birds how various the haunts in which we find 

 them ! We penetrate into the depths of the 

 forest to detect the shy woodpecker, or listen to 

 the plaintive notes of the ring-dove: we loiter in 

 the stately avenue to mark the busy stir of the 

 congregated rooks: we roam on ocean's shore 

 to watch the wheeling flight, and hear the wild 

 cry of the sea-bird : and we linger in the bosky 

 dingle, to listen to the strains of the enamoured 

 nightingale : we go to the mountain heights in 

 search of the eagle and the ptarmigan ; and we 

 descend to the well-watered vallies to look on the 

 radiant wing of the halcyon, gleaming like a 

 sapphire on the surface of the tranquil waters. 

 The plover, the sand-piper, and the booming bit- 

 tern, lead us to the humid marsh. We roam 



