THE OOLOOIST 



way of Beleu, cut off through the 

 Texas pan handle, western Oklahoma 

 and Southern Kansas and saw no 

 snow or cold weather all the way, and 

 but few birds, though the smaller 

 ground birds seemed far more plenti- 

 ful in Texas and Oklahoma than . in 

 Kansas and Colorado on the way out. 

 The thing that impressed us all the 

 way on this 4500 mile trip, as far as 

 more than one sixth the way around 

 the world was the extremely scarcity 

 of birds of prey. Though constantly 

 on the lookout during daylinght hours 

 for them, we saw less than a dozen 

 on the entire trip. Truly the long 

 range rifle is doing its work! 



The Editor. 



the breeding season, could give sub- 

 stantial color and authenticity to the 

 alleged occurrences. 



P. B. Peabody, 

 Blue Rapids, Kansas. 



Oological Comment. 



One shrinks, really, from appearing 

 to put himself forward, in a critical 

 way, as regards bird matters. And 

 yet there are often items coming into 

 print that require some modification 

 or explanation. In the October issue 

 of The Oologist are three such mat- 

 ters. I beg to make brief suggestions 

 in regard to these: 



E. G. Alexander lists the "Longr 

 tailed" Chickadee as found at "Lexing- 

 ton, Missouri." Of course, Missouri is 

 quite out of the range of this Chicka- 

 dee. 



A set of eggs of the Red-shouldered 

 Hawk is listed as found by W. C. 

 Wood; and is described as being "the 

 largest (this collector) ever found." 

 Tn point of fact, the dimensions given 

 fall well within the listed extremes. 



Another observer speaks of the Gol- 

 den-cheeked Warbler as breeding in 

 Arizona. This region differs so radical- 

 ly from the plant associations main- 

 taining in the reputed range, "Parts 

 of Central and Southern Texas," that 

 one is gravely in doubt as to the al- 

 leged occurrence. Only the fact of 

 specimens having been taken, during 



The Lark Bunting. 

 (Calamospiza melanocoris Stejneger) 



The Lark Buntings are peculiar 

 birds; peculiar in their habits, in their 

 size and color among the sparrows, 

 and in their structure. Dr. Coues in 

 his "Key to North American Birds" 

 says: "A well marked genus, with 

 wing-structure reminding one of An- 

 thus or Aulada," and "There is a 

 curios anology of not affinity of this 

 genus to some of the Icteridae." "In 

 form of bill this interesting species is 

 closely allied to Grosbeaks; and this 

 with the singularly enlarged second- 

 aries, as long as the primaries in the 

 closed wing, renders it unmistakable 

 in any plumage." 



They are strictly ground birds, 

 abundant on the uncultivated plains 

 of the West. During the early part 

 of the summer they sing much and 

 are elegant songsters. Much of the 

 singing is done on the wing. They 

 mount upward for a short distance — 

 twenty-five to forty feet — singing as 

 they rise, float for a few minutes at 

 the summit of their flight, and con- 

 tinue to sing for a part of the descent. 

 Usually a number nest in proximity 

 to each other, and at times fill the air 

 with song. Their note is peculiar and 

 can be distinguished as far as it can 

 be heard. This habit of soaring and 

 singing give them the name of Lark 

 Bunting. 



They did not become known in 

 scientific ornithology until discovered 

 by Thomas Nuttall and J. K. Town- 

 send in the spring of 1834, when these 

 two men of science journeyed together 

 across the continent to the Pacific in 

 Capt. Wyeth's party. The discovery 



