THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 353 



Lark Alauda. This genus embraces, according to Seebohm, 

 about seventy species. All of these, with one exception, are con- 

 fined to the Old World, nine of them occurring in Heligoland. 



160. Skylark [FELDLERCHE]. 

 ALAUDA ARVENSIS, Linn. 



Heligolandish : Lortsk 



Alauda arvensis. Naumann, iv. 156. 



Skylark. Dresser, iv. 307. 



Alouette des champs. Temminck, Manuel, i. 281, iii. 203. 



The Skylark is the only bird which lends to Heligoland a touch 

 of the true poesy of spring ; for now and again, on rare and excep- 

 tional occasions, a pair of these birds are content to build their 

 nest on this humble island rock, and to send down upon it from 

 the clear ethereal heights their joyous strains of song. With how 

 much wonderment must the bird look down upon this little island 

 speck from heights of a thousand feet or more to which it has risen, 

 singing, on quivering wings ; and how strange a contrast is the 

 unbounded surface of heaving ocean- waves, now spread beneath it, 

 to the acres of waving cornfields over which its notes resounded 

 in other places. 



Although the bird does not actually herald the advent of 

 spring, it may at least be credited with proclaiming the departure 

 of winter ; for its first flights arrive as early as February, or even 

 January, if at that time the winter cold has relaxed and the weather 

 happens to be what we would call mild for the season of the year. 

 To illustrate this, on the night of the 17th of January 1882, after a 

 change to better weather had occurred, a very strong migration of 

 Skylarks took place, and thousands of these birds were seen flying 

 eastwards on the following day. This premature desire for travel 

 has, however, often very ill consequences ; for if there be a return of 

 frost or snow, the travellers are again forced to abandon, often in sad 

 plight, the homes to which they had hastened with so much joy. 

 In some years this home-coming and re-departing is frequently 

 repeated, for on the least favourable change of weather the birds 

 at once hasten back to their nesting places. However, inasmuch as 

 the bird is very modest in his food requirements, it has got over 

 its worst difficulties by the time the latter half of February is 

 reached. The main migration lasts until the end of March ; but 

 small grey stragglers, in greater or less number, are by no means 



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