298 
THE LADIES MAGAZINE OF GARDENING. 
movements for a few minutes will discover the spot. Their manner of 
flight, and peculiar call when so employed, are also guides to the bird¬ 
nesting boy in his/esearches. The first is a slow, hovering style of flight, 
as if uncertain where to alight; and the second is a tender, fondling kind 
of cry or note, indicative of anxiety. Another thing, they never alight 
very near the nest, but always at some distance, and walk silently and 
cautiously towards it: in leaving, however, they are less cautious, as they 
spring upwards directly from the nest, and this being marked as near as 
possible, the nest is found without difficulty. 
The sky-lark sings from Candlemas to Michaelmas old style, and some¬ 
times later. It is certainly the finest song-bird of this country, if 
we consider the vast number of distinct passages which are introduced in 
his long-continued song. In this respect it is more like the changes and 
variations of a concerto than a simple air of only a limited number of 
notes repeated again and again. The song may be called monotonous, but 
to an attentive ear much pleasing modulation will be heard, and very little 
disagreeable repetition perceived. The intonation is not so rich as the voice 
of some of the finches, nor so brilliant as the nightingale, but for variety the 
lark is matchless. There is also more method perceivable in the song of 
the skylark than in that of other birds. While ascending, which he 
does on a spiral curve, his notes are rapid and unmethodical, but when 
arrived at the singing height, his notes are more moderately enunciated; 
and if the weather be calm, he continues to fly round and round, in hori¬ 
zontal circles, during the song; but if the wind is high, the bird poises 
himself head to wind, and sustains himself by frequent bounds nearly in 
the same place for an hour together, singing merrily all the while. It is 
at this period of his song that his passages are most distinct and most 
interesting : he often comes to a rest of two or three bars without altering 
his regular bounding motion. At last the bird comes to the third division 
of his song, and this is performed while he gradually descends. The 
passages are more brief, his tones are less forcible, and the strains melt at 
last into a well-modulated cadenza , when the bird drops (from a height of 
from twenty to thirty feet) like a stone to the ground. 
Sky-larks congregate in vast flocks during winter, and roost in the 
middle of open fields, where great numbers of them are caught by netting, 
for the poulterers. 
The Wood-lark is so called because it frequently sits and sings on 
trees. This also sings while on the wing, and, moreover, on moonlight 
nights, especially if another or any other bird begins a song. Their song 
is a short strain of not a dozen notes, begun rather high and gradually 
falling to the close. This is frequently repeated without variation, but 
