BIRDS OF THE ARID PLAIN 85 



The fewer trees and the less humidity, provided there 

 is a spot not too far away at which they may quench 

 their thirst and rinse their feathers, the better they 

 seem to be pleased. They were plentiful in this 

 parched region, running or flying cheerfully before me 

 wherever my steps were bent. I could not help won- 

 dering how many thousands of them — and millions, 

 perhaps — had taken up free homesteads on the seem- 

 ingly limitless plains of eastern Colorado. 



Most of the young had already left the nest, and 

 were flying about in the company of their elders, learn- 

 ing the fine art of making a living for themselves and 

 evading the many dangers to w^hich bird flesh is heir. 

 The youngsters could readily be distinguished from 

 their seniors by the absence of distinct black markings 

 on throat, chest, and forehead, and the lighter cast of 

 their entire plumage. 



Sometimes these birds are called shore larks ; but 

 that is evidently a misnomer, or at least a very inapt 

 name, for they are not in the least partial to the sea- 

 shore or even the shores of lakes, but are more disposed 

 to take up their residence in inland and comparatively 

 dry regions. There are several varieties, all bearing a 

 very close resemblance, so close, indeed, that only an 

 expert ornithologist can distinguish them, even with 

 the birds in hand. The common horned lark is well 

 known in the eastern part of the United States as a 



