174 THE SKYLARK. 



which sew a couple of leaves together so as to form a 

 pouch, and suspend it to the branch of a convenient tree. 



Among the European Finches we may name the 

 chaffinch ; the goldfinch, which constructs a beautiful little 

 nest; the greenfinch, the bunting, the bullfinch, and the 

 lark. 



The Larks belong exclusively to the Old World. They 

 are generally found in open arable ground, though some 

 prefer the cultivated districts. 



The type of the race is the Skylark, which makes its 

 nest on the ground, but rises to " heaven's gate " when it 

 gives utterance to its sweet and varied song. With the 

 nightingale, it shares the love and praise of the poets. 

 Its strain is not so copious and richly cadenced as the 

 nightingale's, but it breathes a delightful air of joyousness j 

 whence Shelley addresses the singer thus : — 



"Hail to thee, blithe spirit! 

 Bird thou never wert, 

 That from heaven, or near it, 

 Pourest thy full heart 

 In profuse strains of unpremeditated art." 



An excellent description of its song and of its manner 

 of singing is given by Professor Wilson in one of his 

 charming essays. "Higher and higher," he says, "than 

 ever rose the tower of Belus, soars and sings the lark, 

 lyrical poet of the sky. Listen, listen! and the more 

 remote the bird, the louder is his hymn in heaven. He 

 seems, in his loftiness, to have left the earth for ever, and 

 to have forgotten his lowly nest. The primroses and the 

 daisies, and all the sweet hill-flowers, must be remembered 



