360 BULLETIN 17 9, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



the nests are always placed directly opposite, so that they are open to view 

 from the northeast. This is an important point to remember when looking 

 for nests; it is much easier to find them while traveling in a southwesterly 

 direction. Although the birds seem to prefer wheat stubble fields for nesting 

 sites, the writer has found nests in plowed ground, in freshly seeded fields, 

 and in grassy sod of abandoned ranches. 



Eggs. — He says that "the number of eggs to a set is either two or 

 three — very seldom four." In five years he found "only three sets of 

 four eggs, and the markings on them lead to the belief that one of 

 them was deposited by another female. This was true in each set. 

 Three is the common number, although late sets sometimes contain 

 only two eggs when complete." 



"The eggs," he continues, "vary a great deal in size, shape and 

 coloration. The shape varies from ovate to elongated ovate, as a rule, 

 and an average egg measures about .82 by .62 inches. The ground 

 color varies from light gray to, rarely, almost white, sometimes faintly 

 tinged with greenish. The markings are usually dots and small spots 

 that vary in color from dark gray to light brown, sometimes sprinkled 

 rather evenly over the entire egg, in others with a distinct ring around 

 the larger end." 



Some eggs of this race that I have seen have a yellowish-white 

 ground color, with a wreath of "buffy brown" and "dark olive-buif" 

 spots around the center of the egg, otherwise finely sprinkled with 

 the same colors. The measurements of 35 eggs average 21.5 by 15.4 

 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 24.4 by 

 15.8, 21.8 by 16.5, 20.1 by 15.2, and 20.2 by 14.0 millimeters. 



Enemies. — Mr. McBee (1931) says that "natural enemies of the birds 

 are probably many. Kavens undoubtedly account for some; snakes 

 for many young birds of the hopping age, and the very plentiful 

 'Sagerat,' which travels far and is believed to eat eggs, destroys some." 

 But, as the birds prefer to nest in stubblefields, spring plowing "leads 

 to the destruction of untold hundreds of nests, eggs and young birds." 

 He continues : 



Allowing a minimum of one nest to every two acres, which the writer believes 

 is too conservative, various operations during the nesting season on the McBee 

 ranch alone would account for the destruction of some three thousand nests. 

 There is no possible way of preventing the destruction, except by rescuing those 

 nests which happen to be noticed by the tractor or team driver. Most of the 

 farmers are acquainted with the fact that the larks are valuable insect eaters, 

 so will not knowingly destroy them. It is a sight, indeed, to see an expensive 

 tractor outfit, or a twenty-horse team, stopped while the driver leaves his place 

 to set a tiny nestful of eggs or young birds to a place of safety. Observations 

 by the writer tend to show that in most cases the parents wiU return to their 

 young, even though they may be moved several feet ; sometimes to heavily incu- 

 bated eggs, but very seldom to fresh or incomplete sets of eggs. They will also 

 immediately start rebuilding their destroyed nests. 



