Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 2, 1891.djvu/408

352 And these last two strains are repeated until all have passed under. I append music and words in the original:

Key F or E. D.C.

s :—.s r:—.r : d : m s :—

The leaders: Man- à - sa re là - hy, man- às’ è

The rest: Tsy ho à - ny re là - hy, tsy ho àny è

The leaders: Na- hòa-na re là - hy, na- hòan’ è

The rest: Tsy ho và - ry re là - hy, tsy saonjo è

s d

The leaders: Trànon-drafòdil- hy

The rest: Tràno mè- na

This little thing is very popular among the youngsters, and they spend hours upon hours over it."

A species of Lark is a native of Madagascar, and is very common on the bare downs of the interior provinces. In habits and appearance this bird is very much like the European species, but its song is less full and varied. Many native proverbs refer to the Soròhitra, the Hova name for this lark, some of which are obscure; but the following seem to refer to its peculiar flight, suddenly falling to the ground as if shot or hurt: "A lark falling in the forest, because it doesn't know how to fly" (lit. "is a fool in flying"). "Thrown at, but not to be eaten, like a lark on a grave." The unprotected state of the young birds when the hen is driven off the nest is referred to in the following: "A lark's nestlings by the roadside: I did not cast them off, but they were forsaken by their mother." The Hova name appears to be derived from a root, roòhitra, meaning "to go with a rush", or "to go in companies". Its Sàkalàva name of Kòlokòlotàny apparently refers to its nesting on the bare ground, from kòlokòlo, "cherished, cared for", and tàny, "earth, ground".

Although I know nothing as regards its folk-lore, I will just mention that the last bird in the arrangement of the Order of Passeres, the Euryceros Prevosti, or Prévost's Helmet-bird, is one of the most curious and interesting of the whole Malagasy avi-fauna, from its abnormal structure