LARKS 267 



cheeks, and shield on hreast bhick ; back of head and neck, upper tail 

 coverts, and bend of wing-, i^inkish cinna- 

 mon ; forehead, superciliary stripe, and ear 

 coverts white, eyebrow usually yellow ish ; 

 throat yellowish white ; rest of under parts 



white, sides and Hanks shaded with cinna- .,. .,,, t, ,,. i it ^ , , 



I 1 u .- I ■ 1 1- I i*ig. o44. rallid Honied Lark. 



mon. Adult Jemale in breeding plumage : 



like adult male, but black of head replaced by brownish and huffy ; back 

 of neck, bend of wing', and upper tail coverts, cinnamon w ithout ])inkish 

 ting-e ; back of neck narrowly streaked ; superciliary and ear coverts buft'y ; 

 sides and Hanks streaked with dusky, ^idult nude in u-iider plumage : like 

 summer male, but upper parts more uniform, the brownish arejis more 

 pinkish, on back of head and neck almost hidden by grayish tips to feath- 

 ers ; superciliary yellowish ; throat deeper yellow ; black areas obscured ; 

 breast tinged with buff and spotted with dusky ; sides and flanks darker. 

 Young : up])er parts brownish, feathers with subterminal bar of brown and 

 spot or bar of white or huffy ; superciliary bufty. throat and sides of head 

 spotted. Male : length 7..")6-8.00, wing- 4.o0-4.r>5, tail 2.S5-;j.2«). Female: 

 wing 4.00-4. L'O. tail 2.(')()-2.80. 



Distribution. — Great Plains and Great Basin of the United States, south 

 in winter to northern Mexico. 



Nest. — On the ground, made of fine hay, lined sometimes with deer 

 hair. Eggs : '■] or 4. grayish or g-reenish marked variably with shades of 

 brown. 



In following the roads that lead on and on through the limitless 

 stretches of brown barren plains in the west the monotony of the 

 way is often relieved by the grateful sight of a little companion way- 

 farer with back colored to match the soil and black horns that set 

 off its delicate tints perching confidently beside the road, pattering 

 fearlessly along ahead of your horse, or feeding and singing in the field 

 as you pass. A (piaint ditty theirs is, but it lends cheer and bright- 

 ness to your journey. It is rendered with great good heart, the 

 little larks springing up from the ground and singing as they hold 

 themselves on fluttering wings in the air and simshine. In the nest- 

 ing season, they sing a rapturous love-song, sometimes flying up 

 quite out of sight and circling around in the air for several minutes, 

 stopping on poised wing for an outpouring of song. 



The lai"ks cover so niucli coiintiy that they meet with \arit(l con- 



foniia, and nortlie.-wtern Lower California aloiij; tlie international boundary line, north 

 to southern Nevada. 



Otncnri.s iil/if.itri.s nrrtii-old OberholHer. 



The type of leiinilnind of Coue.s proving; to be a smaller and more highly colored form, 

 the pale large form (the Irurnlniiin of authors) is left without a name, and Mr. Ober- 

 holHer i'onseciuently falls it nrrlirnln. 



Otncnri.s nl/ir.sti i.s i nt/ii/miii Oberliol.ser. 



Like O. II. tirrtirolti, but decidedly smaller, upper parts paler, throat usually yellow. 



Di.stnhntioii. — Breeds frrmi Saskatchewan to northern North Dakota; migrates to 

 Colorado and Kansas and sometimes to Utah and Arizona. 



Olnroiis (d/tf.stri.s hni/li Hisliop. 



Like iirrlicnlii. but upper parts darker, more rufescent, and throat generally distiiutly 

 yellow, 



I>i.<ttriliiitioti. — hreeiis in British America: migrates to .Nevada, llah. Kan.sjis, and 

 Michigan ; casually to Ohio and New York. 



