2 26 The Ottawa Naturalist. [February 



In "The Auk" for April, 1895, ^ find the following-: "I 

 shot a cow-bird on January 18th, i8'j5, on one of the principal 

 streets of the town (Lancaster, New Hampshire). It was in com- 

 pany with a flock of sparrows feeding in front of a grain store. 

 The bird had been seen at odd times throughout the winter, 

 usually in company with the sparrows." , 



These occurrences are very likely the result of the same cause, 

 which I believe to be the habit of cow-birds laying their eggs in 

 the nests of other birds and having them do the hatching. The 

 sparrow being a non-migrating bird retains the aliens until all the 

 migrating birds have left, and the few strays that are observed 

 become grain-eaters and remain with 'he sparrows. 



John Macoun. 



January 1903. 



PRAIRIE HORNED LARK NEST IN NEW BRUNSWICK. 



By Wm H. Moore. 



(Read before the Ornithological Section of the Entomological Society ot 



Ontario. 



It has been known for some years that prairie horned larks 

 bred in New Brunswick as several times, the old birds had been 

 observed feeding the young. Some years this species is common 

 during the spring migration from March until the middle of May. 

 Being of such retiring habits during the nesting period they are 

 seldom seen, as they sit close to the ground and will not fly except 

 when one is about to walk on thera. 



This spring (1902) a nest was found by a farmer while crossing 

 a field about April 20, and contained 4 eggs. Through the kind- 

 ness of Mr. Harry Frazer, a school teacher in the district where 

 the nest was found, I was enabled to get the nest and eggs and 

 give a description below. The nest was situated on the ground on 

 a dry knoll in a field, and was composed ol dry grass blades, rather 

 loosely ( onstructed. Later a sheep stepped on one side of the nest 

 breaking one eg^, after which the birds deserted it. The nest was 

 of the following dimensions. Diameter inside i^ inches, outside 



