258 
THE BEAUTIFUL LADD EE. 
between this gifted foreigner and our equally 
brilliant mocking-bird! and what a rich addi¬ 
tion to our already splendid repertory of bird¬ 
songs I The same may'be said of the skylark, 
whose sweet notes, and the peculiar manner in 
which they are uttered, have so charmed all 
listeners. Washington Irving, whose sense of 
the beautiful was so acute, said that he should 
never forget the delight he experienced the 
first time he saw the skylark start up from al¬ 
most beneath his feet and wing its way up to 
the very clouds, all the while pouring forth its 
delicious melody. It is said that this lark nev¬ 
er sings on the ground, but, taking its flight 
almost directly upward, it begins to sing from 
the first start, increasing its notes in power and 
as it gets nearer and nearer to the celestial 
source from whence its divine gift of song 
came. When the utmost altitude of flight is 
gained, and the wearied wing begins to yield 
to the downward pressure, the joyous gush is 
over, and the disappointed bird drops again in 
silence to the earth, as though saddened by its 
failure to gain the heights and associations 
which it sought. Who but could repeat the 
invocation of Shelley to this gifted bird-artist ?— 
