entreating us, as it were, to restore its offspring. By the first
of August many of the young are fully fledged, and the different
broods are seen associating together to the number of
forty, fifty, or more. They now gradually remove to the
islands of the coast, where they remain until their departure,
which takes place in the beginning of September. They
start at the dawn of day, proceed on their way south at a
small elevation above the water, and fly in so straggling a
manner, that they can scarcely be said to move in flocks.”
“ This species returns to Labrador and the adjoining
islands in the beginning of June. The males are then so
pugnacious and jealous of their females, that the sight of one
of their own sex instantly excites them to give battle ; and
it is curious to observe, that no sooner does one of these encounters
take place, than several other males join in the fray.
They close, flutter, bite, and tumble over, as the European
Sparrow is observed to do on similar occasions. Several
times while in Labrador, I took advantage of their pugnacious
disposition, and procured two or three individuals at a
shot, which it is difficult to do at any other time. Several
pairs breed in the same place, but not near each other. The
male bird sings sweetly while on wing, although its song is
comparatively short. It springs from the moss or naked rock
obliquely for about forty yards, begins and ends its madrigal,
then performs a few irregular evolutions, and returns to the
ground. There also it sings, but less frequently, and with
less fulness. Its call-note is quite mellow, and altered at
times in a ventriloqual manner, so different, as to seem like
that of another species. As soon as the young are hatched,
the whole are comparatively mute, merely using the call-note.
Only one brood is reared each season. The food of the
Shore Lark consists of grass seeds, the blossoms of dwarf
plants, and insects. It is an expert catcher of flies, following
insects on wing to a considerable distance, and now and then
betaking itself to the sea-shore to search for minute shell-fish
or Crustacea.”
Captain James Ross, in his Appendix to the Narrative of
the Second Voyage of Sir John Ross to the Arctic Regions,
says, “ One Shore Lark shot by us near Felix Harbour,
agreed well with the descriptions of authors. Two others
were all that were seen by u s ; it is therefore but rarely met
with above the seventieth degree of latitude.”
The adult male has the beak bluish horn colour, almost
black ; the irides hazel; the lore, or space between the beak
and the eye, and the cheeks, black ; the ear-coverts, and a
streak over the eye, yellow ; the forehead also yellow, bounded
on the top of the head by a broad black transverse band,
which ends on each side with a few elongated and pointed
black feathers, these the bird can elevate at pleasure ; the
occipital portion of the head, the nape, back, and upper tail-
coverts, hair brown, the central line of the feathers being
darker than the edges; the back of the neck and the smaller
wing-coverts tinged with red, the latter tipped with white;
the greater wing-coverts and tertials dark brown, with light
brown margins ; wing-primaries and secondaries dark brown,
with very narrow light-coloured edges ; the two centre tail-
feathers dark brown, with light brown margins; the others
pitch black, except part of the edge of the outer web of the
outside feather on each side, which is white ; chin, throat,
and sides of the neck, primrose yellow; upper part of the
breast with a gorget of black ; the lower part of the breast,
the belly, and under tail-coverts, dull white ; flanks tinged
with reddish brown ; legs, toes, and claws, bluish black, the
hind claw straight, and longer than the toe. This is the
plumage of autumn. In winter, the black on the crown of
the head, on the cheeks and chest, becomes dusky brown.
In summer, Mr. Audubon says, the brownish black bands on
the head and neck become deep black ; the throat and frontal