Music of the Wild 



the fact that not one-tenth of these same lark- 

 lovers ever heard the song of the hermit thrush 

 ha^e anything' to do with the case. They prefer 

 the lark hecause thej^ so love him thej^ are con- 

 vinced they yet would like him best if they did 

 hear the thrush. 



From their choir-loft one would suj^pose that 

 elms ^vere not high enough to furnish larks a nest- 

 ing-place. That is the great surprise about them. 

 Earth- Because he whistles close earth, and brings forth 

 born jjjg young on its breast, the quail seems consistent. 



Singers -r, i i i • 



Because the lark snigs nearest heaven one would 

 expect him to have the nesting habits of the wood 

 pe\\ee. But he drojjs abruptly to earth, hare earth, 

 and in the shelter of a grassy hummock or amidst 

 the growing clover or wheat establishes a home. 

 His mate turns on the point of her l)reast until she 

 wears out a hollow that she lines, and often roofs, 

 with dry grasses, leaving her door to the east, in 

 most instances, as my observation has proved. 

 From four to six eggs are deposited — more often 

 six — and almost always the brood comes off 

 safely. 



Larks are secretive and shy about their build- 

 ing. They always walk several yards under cover 

 of the grasses on leaving their nests before they 

 take wing, and return to them in the same man- 

 ner, so that wlien you see a lark alight you are 

 not sure he is -within a rod of his home in any di- 



186 



