﻿112 
  THE 
  VERTEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  Cairnwell, 
  Glen 
  Clunie. 
  They 
  came 
  flying 
  leisurely 
  within 
  

   easy 
  distance, 
  thus 
  affording 
  excellent 
  opportunity 
  for 
  identi- 
  

   fication. 
  

  

  Section 
  OSCINES 
  SCUTELLIPLANTARES. 
  

   Family 
  ALAUDIDiE. 
  

   Genus 
  ALAUDA, 
  Linn. 
  

  

  Alauda 
  arvensis, 
  Linn. 
  Sky-Lark. 
  Lark. 
  " 
  Liverock." 
  

  

  Abundant, 
  and 
  distributed 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  extent 
  of 
  "Dee." 
  

   Let 
  the 
  student 
  of 
  nature 
  go 
  where 
  he 
  will, 
  except 
  on 
  our 
  

   highest 
  mountains 
  or 
  forest-covered 
  tracts, 
  the 
  Lark 
  is 
  ever 
  to 
  

   be 
  seen. 
  It 
  sings 
  in 
  early 
  spring, 
  and 
  long 
  after 
  most 
  other 
  

   songsters 
  have 
  ceased 
  their 
  charming 
  strains, 
  the 
  Lark's 
  

   joyous 
  melody 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  heard 
  overhead. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  autumn 
  assume 
  their 
  various 
  tints, 
  

   the 
  Larks 
  collect 
  in 
  flocks 
  to 
  wind 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  more 
  

   favoured 
  districts, 
  often 
  never 
  to 
  return, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  waited 
  

   for 
  by 
  the 
  fowlers 
  who 
  take 
  them 
  by 
  thousands 
  and 
  sell 
  them 
  

   to 
  the 
  idle 
  gourmands 
  of 
  London 
  and 
  other 
  large 
  centres 
  of 
  

   population. 
  Still, 
  although 
  many 
  leave 
  in 
  autumn, 
  a 
  few 
  

   remain 
  during 
  winter, 
  and 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  scattered 
  

   flocks 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  cultivated 
  fields 
  ; 
  but 
  when 
  " 
  Boreas 
  wi' 
  

   his 
  blast 
  sae 
  bauld" 
  has 
  laid 
  the 
  fields 
  under 
  a 
  sheet 
  of 
  snow, 
  

   the 
  " 
  Liverock 
  " 
  betakes 
  itself 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  line 
  or 
  open 
  

   meadows, 
  there 
  to 
  pick 
  a 
  scanty 
  fare 
  until 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  

   spring. 
  Then 
  do 
  they 
  betake 
  themselves 
  to 
  their 
  wonted 
  

   haunts, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  female 
  broods 
  over 
  her 
  speckled 
  store 
  

   by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  some 
  sheltering 
  clod 
  or 
  grassy 
  tuft, 
  the 
  male 
  

   soars 
  on 
  high 
  and 
  pours 
  forth 
  his 
  flood 
  of 
  music 
  as 
  blithely 
  

   as 
  if 
  he 
  had 
  passed 
  through 
  no 
  trials 
  during 
  the 
  severe 
  

   and 
  hoary 
  months 
  of 
  winter. 
  

  

  [Alauda 
  arborea, 
  Linn. 
  Wood-Lark. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  of 
  March, 
  1863, 
  I 
  shot 
  a 
  male 
  Wood- 
  

   Lark 
  in 
  the 
  enclosure 
  at 
  Scotston 
  House, 
  near 
  Aberdeen." 
  

   (Note 
  by 
  Angus 
  in 
  Gray's 
  Birds 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  Scotland.)] 
  

  

  