The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-01-31
nut habit or the lover of the nut smok- ing hot from the roaster3,
THAToH4RMTNGSrNGER, rHE1ARK
Man Greatly Indebted to Him for Useful
 ness and Delight.
LFrom the San Francisco Bnlletin.l

l ness and Delight.
 [From the San Francisco Bulletinl
 Dr. Levi c. Lane delivered a lecture on birds on Friday evening. the con- cluding portion being devoted to the lark. He said
 "All birds do not sing. That faculty in the main, possessed by those which feed on worms and insects. And in their work in the garden. orchard and grain field, in destroying vermin, they materially aid man in his industries; and if they do eat a few cherries, grapes, or grains of wheat, they richly pay for all they consume in the destruc- tion of insects. In fact, man Is greatly their debtor. And in reckoning the ser vices of the feathered creditors, if they were to recount their notes in addition to the insects they have killed, the un- grateful lord of creation would find himself in no enviable position as debt or. And this leads me to some remarks in regard to a charming songster, the lark:
 'The lark is denizen of every region
  all over twenty varieties, and promin- ent among these is the crested lark, the lark of the woods, the sand lark, and the meadow lark. The meadow lark is a native of Europe, yet he has a near kinsman in America. The European lark scars aloft, ascending spirally. singing with all his might, as he rises, and finally reaches such height that he becomes almost invisible. In this excursion to the sky he is gazed upon by his admiring female lover, who re- mains on earth below. There Is no bet ter example of gallantry among men. The American field lark does not soar up- ward as does this transatlantic brother, yet his notes, swollen with joy, come from a heart palpitating with similar ecstacy of delight.
 ''The wood lark sings best when his mate is sitting on her eggs, and after the young are matched, the singer lays aside his syrinx and assists his mate in feeding their young.
 "The sand larks have this peculiarity that a company of males will rise up- ward together, and, when they are so high that they can no longer be seen, | then they sing a concert together, Such | is as excellent choir as the angelic | one which saluted the ears of St. Ce- | ella.
 In the countries of the Levant, in | olden times, the lark was highly rever- | enced, and in Lemnos he was an object l of veneratlon. In Greece this bird was | beloved; he called the harvester to | work in the morning, and at noontide, | when the lark rested, the laborers al- so rested. and in the evening when the lark ended his song, the harvester ceas ed from his toll.
 Besides the carol which nature | taught the meadow lark he can also | learn the song of other birds; not one, but several. But some care must be taken in his tuition, for if the lark hears different birds singing, he ac- lures song compounded of several | notes. Hence, in training, he must hear but one song at time.
 'yThe lark, when confined, must have ! cloth canopy in his cage, for he re- Eains his primitive habit of rising when he sings, and, without the precaution he has been known to rise strike his head, and die.
 The sentiment of affection for their young is not confined to the mother, IS the following fact, observed by Buff ion, shows. A young lark that could hardly fly was placed in a cage. Soon afterward a nest of larks just matched was placed in the same cage. The pre- lious occupant immediately assumed he cares of mother to the young ones, 'egularly fed them, and protected them rom the cold by covering them, and so iedulous and untiring was the young guardian that she died in her task of levotion."