BROWN OR RED LARK. 451 



end week in October. According to its well known hab- 

 its, it frequents open flats, commons, and ploughed fields, 

 like a Lark, running rapidly along the ground, and tak- 

 ing by surprise its insect prey of flies, midges, and other 

 kinds. They also frequent the river shores, particularly 

 where gravelly, in quest of minute shell-fish, as well as 

 aquatic insects and their larvae. At this time they utter 

 only a feeble note or call, like tiveet tweet, with the final 

 tone often plaintively prolonged, and, when in flocks, 

 wheel about and fly pretty high, and to a considerable 

 distance before they alight. Sometimes families of these 

 birds continue all winter in the Middle States, if the sea- 

 son prove moderate. In the Southern States, particu- 

 larly North and South Carolina, they appear in great 

 flocks in the depth of winter. On the shores of the San- 

 tee, in January, I observed them gleaning their food 

 familiarly amidst the Vultures, drawn by the rubbish of 

 the city conveyed to this quarter. They likewise fre- 

 quent the corn-fields and rice-grounds for the same 

 purpose. They also migrate to the Bermudas islands, 

 Cuba, and Jamaica, and penetrate in the course of the 

 winter even to Mexico, Guiana, and Brazil. They are 

 again seen on their return to the North, in Pennsylvania, 

 about the beginning of May or earlier. It is also curi- 

 ous to remark, that nearly all the individuals which thus 

 flock to the South to pass the winter are young birds, as 

 it does not appear that any naturalist in the United 

 States is yet acquainted with the ivhite-hxe^isied or adult 

 bird. So strong is the predilection of this species for 

 rocky coasts, that in Holland they are known only to fre- 

 quent the artificial break-waters which are made of large 

 stones. 



The Red Lark (or Pepit, from its querulous note,) 

 makes its nest in mountainous countries, even upon the 



