158 GARDEN GIVES ITS REWARD 
he was crossing the meadow between Miss Wise- 
man’s place and Nestly Heights. He was walk- 
ing along without especially noticing anything, 
when suddenly, as if from under his foot, a meadow- 
lark flew up in the air. He stooped at once to 
search for the nest, since he knew his passing had 
frightened the female bird and made her leave her 
home and eggs. Even so, it was several minutes 
before he located the nest; for it was sunken in 
the turf and then hidden by a clump of grass lean- 
ing over it like a roof. Five white eggs were with- 
in, flecked with reddish brown and purple. Joseph 
would never have seen the nest at all had not the 
bird told its whereabouts by her quick, upward 
flight. She could hardly help being frightened 
when Joseph’s heavy shoe was so near covering her, 
and no doubt her heart beat painfully. 
Such larks as these are the only ones we know, 
so it w^as rather a disappointment to hear from Mr. 
Percy that they were not larks after the true order. 
They are strong, fine birds, and we are now able 
to tell them readily from all others by their yellow 
breasts, marked strikingly with a black crescent. 
Joseph can even imitate their clear, sharp note. 
Mr. Percy says they are saying: “Spring o’ the 
y-e-a-r. Spring o’ the y-e-a-r.” It seems odd he 
should have noticed this, for one day I read that 
these were exactly the words they sang. 
Unless we wish to save the first crop of seed. 
Miss Wiseman says that, as soon as our larkspurs 
