﻿20 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  St. 
  John 
  remarks 
  that 
  Larks 
  are 
  most 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  of 
  winter, 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  February 
  and 
  March. 
  

  

  South 
  of 
  the 
  Ness 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  resident 
  and 
  abundant, 
  though 
  

   less 
  numerous 
  than 
  formerly. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  often 
  noticed 
  in 
  April, 
  

   when 
  in 
  full 
  song 
  ; 
  less 
  so 
  later 
  on. 
  We 
  suspect 
  that 
  changes 
  in 
  

   the 
  styles 
  of 
  agriculture 
  and 
  husbandry 
  are 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  its 
  

   decrease. 
  The 
  species 
  is 
  general 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  lower 
  districts, 
  

   and 
  even 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  higher 
  heather-line, 
  but 
  rarer 
  amongst 
  the 
  

   heather 
  tracts 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  localities 
  elsewhere, 
  such 
  as 
  Caith- 
  

   ness 
  and 
  the 
  Outer 
  Hebrides. 
  Larks 
  are 
  fond 
  of 
  young 
  open 
  

   plantations 
  of 
  pine, 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years 
  old, 
  in 
  late 
  summer. 
  It 
  

   has 
  been 
  heard 
  singing 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  6th 
  February 
  near 
  Westerton, 
  

   Huntly, 
  in 
  1888 
  (J. 
  O. 
  W.). 
  

  

  The 
  Lark 
  is 
  not 
  common 
  near 
  Tomintoul 
  in 
  April 
  — 
  indeed, 
  

   only 
  one 
  pair 
  was 
  seen 
  there 
  in 
  1885. 
  On 
  the 
  Findhorn 
  it 
  is 
  

   common 
  about 
  Tomatin 
  : 
  song 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  simple 
  recording 
  in 
  July. 
  

   In 
  dead 
  of 
  winter 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  less 
  often 
  seen, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  quite 
  

   absent 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  from 
  some 
  localities, 
  again 
  appearing 
  in 
  

   their 
  old 
  haunts 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  February. 
  Though 
  not 
  

   abundant 
  around 
  Tomintoul 
  in 
  1885, 
  it 
  used 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  

   commoner 
  in 
  Glenavon 
  and 
  Glenlivet, 
  where 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  net- 
  

   ting 
  Partridges 
  at 
  night 
  — 
  the 
  mesh 
  of 
  the 
  nets 
  being 
  so 
  small 
  as 
  

   to 
  take 
  Larks 
  as 
  well 
  — 
  is 
  given 
  as 
  a 
  reason 
  for 
  their 
  decrease 
  both 
  

   there 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Laigh 
  of 
  Moray. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  give 
  much 
  credit 
  to 
  

   the 
  popular 
  cry 
  against 
  the 
  Starling 
  as 
  a 
  cause 
  of 
  this 
  decrease, 
  

   although 
  its 
  habits 
  are 
  somewhat 
  allied 
  to 
  well-known 
  proclivities 
  

   of 
  the 
  modern 
  Kook. 
  

  

  [Alauda 
  arborea, 
  L. 
  Wood 
  Lark. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  Wood 
  Lark 
  in 
  Banffshire 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  a 
  

   perfect 
  muddle, 
  if 
  we 
  compare 
  Gray's 
  account 
  (Birds 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  

   Scotland, 
  p. 
  124) 
  with 
  Edward's 
  under 
  Blackcap, 
  and 
  again 
  with 
  

   Eev. 
  J. 
  Smith's 
  remarks 
  (Zoologist, 
  1850, 
  p. 
  2849) 
  under 
  Wood 
  

   Lark, 
  and 
  again 
  under 
  Blackcap 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  article. 
  Edward 
  

   says 
  he 
  ' 
  had 
  seen 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  in 
  the 
  avenue 
  of 
  Duff 
  

   House. 
  It 
  was 
  in 
  song, 
  and 
  was 
  alone 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  — 
  May 
  27th, 
  

   1880.' 
  In 
  all 
  cases, 
  we 
  believe, 
  'Tree 
  Pipit' 
  may 
  be 
  read 
  for 
  

   ' 
  Wood 
  Lark.'] 
  

  

  