648 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 part 2 



namely, when one wing is at the top of its describing arc and the other is at the 

 bottom of its arc. * * * 



F. H. Allen has advanced the theory that the ecstatic mating song is an elabo- 

 rated older song, one which has been evolved from the perch song. Nevertheless, 

 flight songs often contain even more primitive sounds, such as call notes, and it 

 is interesting to note that alternate wing motions in birds, which is a survival 

 of the alternate leg motion of their reptilian ancestors, is still occasionally prac- 

 tised by Lark Buntings during their flight singing. 



Zimmer (1913) described the unusual song-flight of the lark bunting 

 in the following terms: "When the birds sings thus in flight it rises 

 regularly and directly into the air with rapid wing beats until, at 

 the summit of its ascent, it pauses and begins to descend by a series 

 of awkward, jerky motions of its set, extended wings, the motion 

 being more like that of a butterfly than of a bird." 



Although the song-flight of the lark bunting has been likened to 

 that of the bobolink, Keyser (1902) has pointed out that — 



a striking difference between his intermittent song-flights and those of the bobo- 

 link is to be noted. The latter usually rises in the air, soars around in a curve, 

 and returns to the perch from which he started, or to one near by, describing 

 something of an ellipse. The lark bunting generally rises obliquely to a certain 

 point, then descends at about the same angle to another perch opposite the 

 starting-point, describing what might be called the upper sides of an isosceles 

 triangle, the base being a line near the ground, connecting the perch from which 

 he rose and the one on which he alighted. I do not mean to say that our bunting 

 never circles, but simply that such is not his ordinary habit, while sweeping in 

 a circle or ellipse is the favorite pastime of the eastern bobolink. The ascent 

 of neither bird is very high. They are far from deserving the name of skylarks. 



Several authors have observed that the lark bunting appears to 

 enjoy flying and singing in the face of winds of sufficient force to 

 cause other birds to take cover. Thus, J. A. Allen (quoted in Coues, 

 1874) wrote that the lark bunting "is a very strong flier, and seems to 

 delight in the strongest gales, singing more at such times than in com- 

 paratively quiet weather." Langdon (1933) says: "Several times 

 I have heard him in the sunlit, sparkling rain. He is vocal when other 

 birds seek shelter. Being strong of wing, he flies up to greet with 

 song the cooling breeze or the gale that brings the storm. Sometimes 

 he flies almost vertically up the wind, turns, and sails rapidly down 

 the wind, bubbling with glee." 



Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1874b) quote Coues as writing that 

 the "ordinary flight of this species is altogether of a different character, 

 being a low gliding motion, overtopping the weeds and bushes." 



An interesting pattern of behavior was noted by Youngworth 

 (1930), who observed hundreds of lark buntings seeking shade from 

 the heat of the afternoon sun. Thus, during the "intense heat of the 

 afternoon numerous lark buntings were found perching on barbed 



