Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-11-26
THE SKYLARK'S SONG
AN ASTONISHING FEAT FROM MANY
POINTS OF VIEW.

Tone and Quality, nut aus 'oi""
Is Astounding and Its Circumstance
of Utterance a Physical Marvel.
For Its music alone the song OF the
lark is almost the most melodious OF
any birds. The tone and quality are
admirable and the volume Of sound as
tonishing. 1t can be heard clearly
when the lark has mounted, as
sometimes does, beyond recognition by
normal eyesight. The volume OF SOUND
;s also most noticeable when a caged
lark is heard, singing as it does tar
nearer to the nearer than the BIRD III
the sky. But apart from the quality
and music Of the song the clrcum-
stances In which 1t is uttered render
it an astonishing feat.
Every other considerable songster Is
mite aware that singing entails much
nhvsical effort. Consequently 1t takes
care TO secure good platform to sing
from. A thrush or a blackbird or
robin nearly always selects top snoot
ar projecting bough, preferably dead
one. on which it sits and sings never
moving its position, and without any
objects round 1t to hinder the carry Oh
its voice. The blackcap and nightln-
gale and some of the warblers SIT III
a bush to sing, but the whitethroat
and even the hedge sparrow choose
the topmost twig. The whltetnroat
sometimes sings when descending, ana
some of the pipits and the wood lark
do the same, the meadow pipit singing
n feeble little song as it makes a snort
ascent and descent
But to the strain on its lungs OF long
protracted song the lark adds the great
muscular exertion of steady upward
flight usually carried out not by seal
ing the air in gentle circles, as IN the
soaring of the larger birds, but by a
vertical climb made by the incessant
heating of it's wings. Wordswortns
recognition Of 1t as the
TYNE of the wise who soar, but never
True to the kindred points of heaven and
home.
IS often almost literally correct. After
two or three spirals the bird goes up
almost as if 1t were drawn heavenward
by cord, and then, closing its WINGS
descends like a falling stone to the
very point from which it rose. Inc
strain upon the muscles and the lungs
would be great if during all this time
It were silent But 1t chooses to add
to the exertion Of soaring that OF pour
ing forth a continuous flood of sweet
notes with no intermissions or breaks
whatever.
A lark will soar and sing during a
space of ten minutes consecutively. The
rapidity with which the pectoral mus
cles are working during this period
NAV be Judged from the fact that the
bird makes not less than from five to
six beats of the wing per second. Inc
beats are usually in sets of from three
to five, the bird pausing for moment
as if to take a fresh start after the
interval. When chased by the merlin
falcon, skylarks make their finest ex-
hibitions of fight, ascending into the
air to heights which have been est-
mated as being not less than a thou
sand feet Sometimes the bird uses
the same means of ascent as when 1t is
soaring and singing, rising vertically
by incessant beats of the wing. In the
language Of the falconer, these are
termed mounting" larks, and their
object is to outfy the hawk directly
shaking off its pursuit during the as
cent. Others prefer to rise by flying In
a spiral which the falcon initiates.
Mr.. E. B. Michel, in his volume or
''The Art and Practice of Hawking,
says: 1.-THE one bird may be circline
from right to left and the other from
left to right, and neither seems TO guide
the direction Of its rings by any refer
ence to those which the other is max
ing. 1t is now a struggle to see which
can get up fastest and it is astonish
ing to see to what a height such flights
will sometimes reach. AS soon as
lark is 800 feet high it can drop, almos
like a stone, into any cover within
radius of 200 yards from the spot jus
under it, allowance being made for thu
effect of the wind. But 800 feet is no
high for ringing fight; at least there
Is nothing unusual about 1t. A larl
does not go out of sight until it Il
much above that height and it is NJ
extraordinary thing for it to do this
The lark seldom sings late in the day
1t can be tempted to rise in burst o.
melody for one final ascent if the even
ang sun breaks through the clouds aftel
rain, but as a rule it is silent Ions
before the sun has descended into TIT
western bed of cloud. We have Mil
TONS authority that it is up and in son:
before dawn. But those who have
Heard the lark begin it's flight
And singing startle the dull night
are not easily found though in tn
height of the pairing time it may yer.
possibly be beforehand with aurora il
greeting its mate. But as a rule tn
lark sings at sunrise, as the OrtOlal
eats. Darkness depresses it and keep
it mute, but CLEAN Of sun is the sig
nal for it to ascend. Obviously rail
would make it most difficult for it t
soar, both By adding to the weight o
dts body from the moisture caught il
the feathers and by wetting the web
of the pinions so the lark only scars il
the dry as a rule. 1t is one Of the mos
sensitive and best of natures weathe
gauges, for when the larks begin t
sing it is almost certain that rain ha
ceased for some time, if not for tn
day. 1t is the cock lark which sings
William Goblet noted that one wa
just soaring and beginning to sin
when the hen flew up and evidentl
told him to stop, for she fetched hir