The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-08-05
THE SKYLARk'S song
AN ASTONISHING FEAT FROM MANY
POINTS OF VIEW.


POINTS OF VIEW.
Not Alone Is 1t II Woudcr of Melody,
Tone and Quality. but Its Volume
Is Astounding ursd Its circumstance
of Utterance IL Physical Marvel.
For its music alone the song Of the
lark is almost the most mclodious 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 it
sometimes does. beyond recognition by
normal eyesight The volume Of sound
is also most noticeable when Il Gagged
lark is heard, singing us it does far
nearer to the nearer than the bird in
the sky. But apart from the quality
and music of the song the circunn-
stances in which it is uttered render
it an astonishing feat
Every other considerable songStcr Is
quite aware that singing entails much
physical effort. Consequently 1t takes
care 10 secure q good platform to sing
from. A thrush or Il blackbird or Il
robin nearly always selects top shoot
or projecting bouGh. preferably Il dead
one on which it sits and sings, never
moving its position, and without any
objects round it to hinder the carry of
its voice. The blackCap and nightin-
gale and some OF the warblCrS sit in
IL bush to sing. but the whitetlIroat
and even the hedge sparrow choose
the tupmost twiG. The whitCthroat
sometimes sings when descending, and
some of the pipits and the wood lark
do the same, the meadow pipit singing
feeble little song as it makes Il short
ascent and descent.
But 10 the strain on its lungs of long
protracted song the lark adds the great
muscular eXertiOn Of Il steady upward
flight. usually carried out not by seal
ing the air in gentle circles, as i'll the
soaring of the larger birds. but by Il
vertical climb made by the inccssant
beating of its wings. WordswOrth's
recognition of it as the
Type Of the wise who soar, but never
roam,
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 it We're drawn hcaycnwald
by cord and then, closing its wings,
dcscends like Il falling stone to the
very point from which it rose. The
strain upon the muscles and the lungs
would be great if during all this time
it were silent But it chooses to add
to the eXcrtion of soaring that Of pour
ing forth continuous flood Of sweet
notes with no intrrmi&sions or breaks
whatever.
\ lark will soar ard SiH% during Il
space of ten minutes conSrcutivCly. The
rapidity with which tie pcctoral mus
cles are working during this period
may be judged from the fact that the
bird makes not less than from five 10
six beats Of the wing per second. The
beats are usually in sets Of from three
to five, the bird pau&ing Ter Il moment
as if 10 take Il fresh start after the
interval. When chased by the merlin
falcon. Skyldrks make their finest eX-
hibitionS of flight, ascending into the
air to heights which have been esti-
mated as being not less than 4 thou
sand feet. Sometimes the bird uses
the same means of ascent as when it is
soaring and singing, rising vertically
by inceSSant beats OF the wing. In the
language of the faicOncr. these are
termed mounting" larks. and their
object is to Outfiy the hawk directly,
shaking off its pursuit during the as
cent. Others prefer TO rise by flying in
q spiral which the falcon initiates.
Mr.. L. Il. Michel, i'll his NollNne on
''The Art and Practice of Hawking"
says: The one bird may lie circ!iny
from right to left and the other from
left to right. and neither SerNS to guide
the direction of its rings by any refer
ence to these which the other is max
ing. 1t is now Il struggle to see which
can get up fastest, and it is astonish-
ing TO see TO what height such flights
will sometimes reach. AS soon us Il
lark is 500 feet high it can drop. almost
like Il stone. into any cover within 4
radius of 200 yards from the spot just
under it. allowance being made for the
effect of the wind But 500 feet is not
high for ringing flight; ut least there
is nothing unusual about it, \ lark
does not go out of sight until it is
much above that height. and it is no
extraordinary thing for it to do this
The lark seldom sings late in the day.
1t can be tempted to rise in :; burst of
melody for one final ascent ii the even
ing sun breaks through the clouGS after
rain but as Il rule il is silent long
before the sun has descended into the
western bed of cloud We have Mil
tons authority that it is mp ana i'll song
before dawn. But these WHO lave
Heard the lark begin its flight
And singing startlc tn d'lll Nir:Es
are not easily found, though in the
height of the pairing time il u;iy very
possibly be beforehand with aurora i'll
greeting lis mate But as Il rule the
lark sings ut sunrise. us the ortolan
eats. Darkness dcpreSsri it ami keeps
it mute, but Il CLEAN of sun is the sig
nal for it to ascend. obviously rain
would make it most difficult for it to
vo2r both by adding 10 the weight OF
is body from the moisture caught in
the feathers and by wcttin@ the webs
of the pini0ns, SO the lark only scars in
the dry as Il rule. 1t is one OF the NEST
sensitive and best of natures weather
gauges for when the larkS begin 10
sing il is almost certain that rain has
ceased for some time. il lot for the
day. 1t is the cock larI; which sings.
William CobEett noted that one w;is
just soaring and beginning 10 sing
when the hen flew Up and evidently
told him to stop, for she fetched him
down again AN instance" says cob
bett, of that prttic"at government
which Is universal London Standard.
Protected the Judge.
After the jury in Il Texas ease had
listened to the charge of the court AMI
had gone to their room 10 deliberate
upon the verdict. ON" Of the twelve
went right to TIC point Ivy saying:
THAT thar Pike Muldrow ortcr he
convicted an gcn'ral principles. Hes
bad as they make en-"
AS the hi:in Of approval w2i.t around
Il weakened Nttle j,lrur said. Il heerd
that Pike guy it OK that he'd 20 gun
min fur us. if We sent him up. irs'
soon's he got ont. IN fur the jcdge
too"
We must perfect the jcd%C," they
agreed. ami the verdict WAS Not gull