The Sky-Lark　云雀

Has any one ever told you that they were“happy as a lark,”and have you stopped to think how happy a lark is？—its joyous flight up into the sky,as high or higher than the sight of man can reach,singing louder and louder,and more and more gayly the higher it ascends？When the sweet hay-time comes on,and mowers are busy in the fields with their great scythes,it is sometimes a dangerous season for larks,who make their nests on the ground.Often the poor little nests must suffer;but only think how ingenious their owners are if they do.A mower once cut off the upper part of a lark's nest.The lark sitting in it was uninjured.The man was very sorry for what he had done;but there was no help for it—at least so he thought.The lark knew better,and soon afterward a beautiful dome was found made of grass over the nest by the patient,brave bird.

可曾有人对你说过他们“快乐得像云雀一样”？你又可曾停下来想过云雀到底有多快乐？它们越飞越高，歌声也越来越响亮、越来越欢快，它们飞到我们的目光所及之处，飞出我们的视野，那是多么快乐的飞翔！香甜的干草季节，人们挥舞起大镰刀在田间割草。对于把巢筑在地上的云雀来说，这个季节有时危机四伏。那些可怜的小鸟巢经常要遭殃；但是，如果真的遭殃的话，就想想鸟巢主人是多么有才吧！一次，有人割草时割掉了云雀窝的顶部，里面的云雀却毫发未伤。割草人为此感到很难过，可是却觉得事已至此，无能为力了——至少他是这样想的。云雀可聪明多了，困难面前毫不气馁、决不退缩，没过多久，一个漂亮的拱形草盖就完工了。