At the Water's Edge 



ceptional, of a gifted soul within an unpre- 

 possessing exterior ; in fact, there are extremely 

 few species that are not more presentable. Our 

 own shore lark, which is also a denizen of 

 Europe, and there called the handsomest of the 

 family, is a much more attractive specimen. 

 Perhaps we have no plainer bird than the 

 sweet-voiced vesper sparrow, which the field lark 

 closely resembles ; being a trifle larger, of about 

 the same color on the back, and with similar 

 pure white outer tail-feathers. On the slender 

 basis of its having occasionally been found in 

 Greenland and in Bermuda, it is included in 

 the list of North American birds. But most of 

 the attempts, made hitherto, to introduce and 

 naturalize this remarkable species in our own 

 land, by which alone it can ever become a 

 prominent member of our avifauna, have been 

 unsuccessful. 



In its summer home our own shore lark, so 

 silent when with us, is said to exhibit vocal 

 powers not unworthy of the family repute, and 

 to mount and sing upon the wing like the 

 European species; although, according to Au- 

 dubon, it does not begin to sing until its high- 

 est altitude is reached. But why does its heart 

 warm toward Labrador? Although that dis- 

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