THE SKYLARK. By Paul F. Donald. Illustrated with line drawings and colour plates by Alan Harris.

2004 1st edition. 8vo (162 x 240mm). Pp256. Colour photographs and illustrated plates, b/w photographs and illustrations, charts, maps, extensive bibliography, olive end-papers. Dark green boards, spine titled in gilt.

"The Skylark is one of Europe's most popular and inspirational birds. It is also one of the most widely-distributed birds in the world - its beautiful song, delivered from the famous towering songflight, can be heard from Ireland to Japan, and from the Arctic Circle to the deserts of North Africa. Not surprisingly, its songflight has made numerous appearances in folklore and works of literature over the centuries. In recent years the Skylark has been making headlines under less happy circumstances. Its population in Britain, and across much of western Europe, has plummetted over the last thirty years, largely because of changes in farming, and conservationists are now fighting to save the 'blithe spirit' from further decline. ...The book opens with an overview of all the world's larks, including the threatened Raso Lark of Cape Verde, a close relative of the Skylark that has one of the smallest populations of any living bird. It then examines all aspects of the life of the Skylark, from its biology, migratory patterns, behaviour and habitat requirements, to its role in history and folklore. It also discusses the reasons for the species' recent rapid decline, reasons that turn out to be rather unexpected. This well illustrated and highly readable account is the definitive monograph on this very special species, and the first to discuss the whole lark family generally. It is also a fascinating case study of a species struggling to exist in modern intensive farmland, one of the most pressured and modified environments on earth."