A species of lien created by statute in most of the states, which exists In favor of persons who have performed work or furnished material in and for the erection of a building. Their lien attaches to the land as well as the building, and is intended to secure for them a priority of payment. The lien of a mechanic is created by law, and is intended to be a security for the price and value of work performed and materials furnished, and as such it attaches to and exists on the land and the building erected thereon, from the commencement of the time that the labor is being performed and the materials furnished; and the mechanic has an actual and positive interest in the building anterior to the time of its recognition by the court, or the reducing of the amount due to a judgment. First Nat. Bank v. Campbell, 24 Tex. Civ. App. 160, 58 S. W. 630; Carter v. Humboldt F. Ins. Co., 12 Iowa, 292; Barrows v. Baughman, 9 Mich. 217.