Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-08-24
THE SKYLARK'S SONG
AN ASTONISHING FEAT FROM MANY
POINTS OF VIEW.
NOT Alone 10 rt N Wonder of Melody y,
Tone and Quality, hut It's voIume
II Astounding and Its Circumsssnee
of Utterance q Physfcar Marvel.

Tone and Quality, but IL. yorum,
is Astounding and It's Circumstance
of Utterance n Physical Marvel.
For it's 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. Ii can be heard clearly
when the lark has mounted. as II
sometimes does, beyond recognition by
normal eyesight. The volume OF sound
is also most noticeable when a Gagged
lark is heard, singing as IL does far
nearer TO the nearer than the bird I'm
the sky. But apart from the quality
and music OF the song the clrcum-
stances in which It Is uttered render
1t an astonishing feat.
Every other considerable songster Is
quite aware that singing entails much
physical effort. Consequently It takes
care to secure a good platform to sing
from A thrush or n bIackbird or a
robin nearly always selects a top shoot
or projecting bOugh. preferably n dead
one. on which II sits and sings. never
moving its position. and without any
objects round II TO hinder the carry OF
its voice. The blackcap and nightin-
gale and some Of the waFblers sit In
bush 10 sing. but the whitethroat
and even the hedge sparrow choose
the tOpmOst twig. The whitethroat
sometimes sings when descending. and
some OF the pipits and the wood lark
Il hr
feeble little song as 1t makes a short
ascent and descent
But to the strain on its lungs OF long
protracted song the lark adds the great
muscular cxertion OF n 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
beating OF its wings. WOrdsworth's
recognition OF It as the
Type 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 I'D
almost as II it were drawn heavenward
by cord. and then. closing its wings.
descends Ike a falling stone 10 the
very point from which IT rose. The
strain upon the muscles and the lungs
would be great IL during all this time
IT were silent. But IL chooses TO add
TO the exertion OF soaring that Of pour
ing forth a continuous food OF sweet
notes with no intermissions or breaks
whatever
n lark viii soar and sing during
space OF ten minutes consecutively. The
rapidly with which the pectOral mus
cles are working during this period
may be judged from the fact that the
bird makes not less than from Eve 10
six beats OF the wing per second. The
beats are usually i'm sets OF from three
10 five, the bird pausing for moment
as II 10 take n fresh start after the
interval When chased by the merlin
falcon, Skylarks make their finest ex-
hibiuons OF flight ascending into the
air 10 heights which have been esti-
mated as being not less than a thou
sand feet. Sometimes the bird uses
the same means or ascent as when II 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 10 outiy the hawk directly.
shaking on its pursuit during the as
cent. Others prefer 10 rise 10y flying In
a spiral, which the falcon initiates
Mr.. E. b. Michel. in his volume on
The Art and Practice OF Hawking. "
says: The one bird may be clrcling
I from right TO left and the other from
/ LETT 10 right. and neither seems to guide
the direction OF its rings by any refer
ence 10 those which the other is max.
Ing. Ii Is now struggle TO see which
can get up fastest and il is astonish-
Ing 20 see 10 what a height such flights
will sometimes reach. As soon as q
lark is 500 feet high il can drop. almost
Ike stone, into any cover within 4
radius OF zoo yards from the spot lust
under II. allowance being made for the
effect Of the wind. But 500 feet is not
high for ringing fight; at least there
Is nothing unusual about It, 4 lark
does not Go out OF sight until il Is
much above that height. and il is no
/ extraordinary thing for il 10 do this
The lark seldom sings late in the dav.
1t can be tempted 10 rise in burst OF
melody FOR one iinal ascent if the even
Ing sun breaks through the clouds after
rain, but as 4 rule il Is silent long
before the sun has descended into the
western bed of cloud We have Nil.
tons authority that it is up and in song
before dawn. But those who have
Heard the lark begin its hisht
And singing startle the duh night
are not easily found. though in the
height OF the pairing time il may very
| possibly be beforehand with aurora in
greeting its mate. But rs a rule the
lark sings At sunrise. rs the ortolan
eats. Darkness depreSSes il and keeps
II mute, but CLEAN Of sun is the sig
nal for ii 10 ascend. Obviously rain
would make IL most difficult for il 10
soar. both by adding 10 the weight OF
lis body from the moisture caught in
the feathers and by wetting the webs
OF the piniOnS, SO the lark only scars in
the dry as a rule. Ii is one Of the most
sensitive and best Of natures weather
gauges. for when the larkS begin u
sing il is almost certain that rain has
ceased for some time. il not for the
day. IL is the cock lark which sings
William COhbett noted that one was
just soaring and beginning 10 Sins
when the hen flew up and evidently
told him 10 stop. for she fetched him
down again-"an instance" says Cob.
bett, of that petticoat government
which is univerSal"-LondOn standard