122 BIRDS OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



quiver over the spot he has left, and mark his upward flight until 

 he gets fairly into a soaring strain the air being filled with that 

 torrent of a voice, we can better understand the subject of these 

 lines : 



" Sound of vernal showers 

 On the twinkling grass, 

 Rain-awakened flowers, 

 All that ever was 

 Joyous, and clear, and fresh thy music doth surpass. 



" Better than all measures 

 Of delightful sound. 

 Better than all treasures 

 That in books are found. 

 Thy skill to poet were, thou scorner of the ground. 



*' Teach me half the gladness 



That thy brain must know, 



Such harmonious madness 



From my lips would flow, 



The world should listen then, as I am listening now." 



In some winters chiefly in severe weather immense flights of 

 larks make their appearance in the West of Scotland. The most 

 remarkable of these within my recollection occurred near Girvan 

 about eight or nine years ago. Their numbers were incalculable, 

 and for some days they spread themselves over the fields in the 

 vicinity of the town, rising occasionally into the air on being dis- 

 turbed, and forming a dark cloud of a most singular appearance. 

 In the confusion of their movements the whole body crossed one 

 of the public roads, by the side of which there are several lines of 

 telegraph wires ; but the mass of birds was so compact, that none 

 of those in a line with the wires escaped destruction. As soon as 

 the flock passed, dozens were picked up dead or mutilated por- 

 tions of wings, torn from the living bird, being even found adher- 

 ing to the wires. 



These extraordinary flocks of laverocks had evidently been 

 migratory, and, as in the case of the common bunting, belonged 

 to more northern districts perhaps out of Britain altogether. I 

 was particularly struck with the variation in the size of some of 

 the birds Out of two dozen examined by me, six or seven speci- 

 mens were not much over half the bulk of the others. Two pairs 

 of them are now before me, and it is strange to find the diffe- 



