642 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 part 2 



County, Mont., which was situated "on the ground, in the grass, on 

 the slope of a coulee bank." It was "sunk almost flush with the 

 surface of the ground" and was "composed of weed and grass stems 

 and grass leaves." The nest was "lined with grass in a more or less 

 shredded condition. A flat outer rim, just above ground, was com- 

 posed of coarse weed stems." Internal measurements of the nest 

 were: diameter, 2.75 inches; depth, 1.75 inches. He describes a 

 second nest he found "in the flat bottom area of the coulee, well con- 

 cealed by thick grass which surrounded it. One long, thick tuft of 

 green grass leaned over it. The nest rim was perhaps an inch above 

 ground, in matted dry grass." The nest was "constructed of dried 

 grass stems and blades, lined with dried grass, some fine rootlets, and 

 a few hairs." 



Langdon (1933) published several photographs of male and female 

 lark buntings as well as their young at the nest and describes the 

 typical nest in the following terms: 



"The nest is usually sunken flush with the ground, although some- 

 times it is slightly elevated. It is made of grasses and fine roots and 

 lined with fine grasses, plant down, or hair. Sometimes it is sheltered 

 by prairie plants and almost always difficult to find. To avoid re- 

 vealing its location, the birds will remain away from the nest for long 

 periods of time." 



The nest is often located near or is hidden by some species of plant 

 or plant debris. Thus, Whittle (1922) reports that lark buntings in 

 the Missouri vaUey of Montana often selected "nesting sites in weedy 

 tracts, under thick cover of tumble weed (Cycloloma atriplicicolium) 

 accumulated by the wind against some obstruction, usually a wire 

 fence, or even under a single plant of this species over-turned on the 

 prairie." One such nest was "built entirely of grass and, as is cus- 

 tomary, was placed on the ground with its rim flush with the surface, 

 the inside diameter being two and one-quarter inches, and the depth 

 the same." Benckeser (1957) reported finding a nest in pasture 

 lands north of Brule, Nebr., that was constructed among prickly pear 

 cactus foliage. Quillin (1935) found that lark buntings nesting near 

 El Dorado, Tex., had built two nests in shallow hollows "in the center 

 of an open clump of acacia a few inches high growing in a level meadow 

 that was dotted with similar bushes." Sclater (1912) reports a nest 

 found near Greeley, Colo., "in a slight hoUow in the ground, in a 

 freshly cut alfalfa field, and was made up of alfalfa stems and leaves." 

 Keed (1904) noted that eggs had been coUected from a nest in a 

 cornfield at the base of a stalk. Cary (1902) observed that out of a 

 dozen nests examined "all but one were hidden under a sage brush. 

 The exception was a nest which the birds had built right in the middle 

 of a thick bunch of cactus." 



