232 alatjdidjE. 



the 22nd, 1840. " At half-past seven o'clock this evening, when 

 on the highest part of the old road from Belfast to Crumlin, perhaps 

 850 feet above the sea, larks were busily engaged singing on every 

 side, at the same time that snipes (Scolopax Gattinago) were bleat- 

 ing, and giving utterance to their other calls. The mingling of 

 the notes of the two species, so very dissimilar, had a singular but 

 most pleasing effect." The skylark is generally noticed by authors 

 as singing only when on wing; yet it not very unfrequently 

 pours forth its song from the ground, and when perched on furze 

 or whins, &c. Mr. Poole remarks, that the skylark occasionally 

 mounts up to sing during rain, but does not remain long, merely 

 ascending and quickly descending again : nests are noted by him 

 as containing young birds in the middle of April, and which were 

 fledged by the 1st of May. An observant friend has on different 

 occasions known several circular holes to be made by pairs of 

 these birds, before fixing upon one for their nest. 



In very cold winters, our indigenous larks congregate in large 

 flocks, which remain with us unless the weather become extraor- 

 dinarily severe, when they move more or less southward. Even 

 when the winter is mild in the north of Ireland, these birds gene- 

 rally migrate hither from Scotland, in small or moderate flocks, and 

 have repeatedly been seen crossing the Channel by my friend Capt. 

 Payrer, R.N., during the several years that he commanded the 

 mail steam-packet, winch plied between Portpatrick and Donagha- 

 dee.* Although the autumn of the year 1832 had been very 

 fine and mild, I saw so early as the 17 th of October, a very large 

 flock of larks, which had doubtless migrated to tins country. 

 In the winter of 1837-38, larks remained in flocks until a late 

 period — on the 24th of March I remarked not less than sixty 

 congregated. 



The skylark occasionally exhibits variety in its plumage, though 



less frequently than some others of our small birds. The collec- 



* In the "Annual Register" under date of January the lOtk, 1814, it is stated, 

 that " The Hillsborough Packet, ou the passage from Portpatrick to Donaghadee, 

 was literally covered, on the rigging and deck, by a flock of larks : they had taken 

 their departure from some place at or near Portpatrick, and in order to have a rest 

 by the way, swarmed about the packet. So soon as they got near shore, they made a 

 rapid flight for the laud." 



