1917 BIRDS OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ISLANDS 67 



118. Otocoris alpestris insularis C. H. Townsend 



Island Horned Lark 



Phileremos cornutus (1) Cooper, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., iv, 1870, p. 78. 



Eremophila alpestris var. chrysolaema {2) Henshaw, Rep. Wheeler Surv., 1876, p. 248. 



Otocoris alpestris rubea (3) Henshaw, Auk, iii, 1886, p. 453. 



Otocoris alpestris — ^ {4) Blake, Auk, iv, 1887, p. 329. 



Oltocoris]. alpestris ruhea (5) Streator, Orn. & Ool., xiii, 1888, p. 54. 



Otocoris alpestris strigata (6) Dwight, Auk, vii, 1890, pp. 151, 158. (7) Keeler, Zoe, i, 

 1891, p. 339. (8) Grinnell, Pasadena Acad. Sci., i, 1897, pp. 5, 10, 16. (.9) Davie, 

 Nests & Eggs N. Am. Bircis, 5th ed., 1898, p. 318. 



Otocoris alpestris insularis (10) Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xiir, 1890, p. 140. iJl) 

 Bendire, Life Hist. N. Am. Birds, ii, 1895, p. 347. (12) Mailliard, Bull. Cooper Orn. 

 Club, I, 1899, p. 41. (IS) Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xxii, 1900, p. 230. {!',) 

 Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xxiv, 1902, p. 839. (J.J) A. O. U. Committee, Auk, 

 XX, 1903, p. 345. (Id) Breninger, Auk, xxi, 1904, p. 222. (/7) Mearns, Bull. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., LVi, 1907, p. 141. (IS) Ridgway, Birds North & Mid. Am., iv, 1907, p. 317. 

 (19) Linton, Condor, x, 1908, p. 84. (20) Linton, Condor, x, 1908, p. 181. (21) A. O. 

 U. Check-list, 3d ed., 1910, p. 221. (22) Howell and van Rossem, Condor, xiii, 1911, 

 p. 209. (23) Willett, Pac. Coast Avif., 7, 1912, p. 66. (24) Grinnell, Pac. Coast Avif., 

 8, 1912, p. 16. (2.j) Wright and Snyder, Condor, xv, 1913, p. 91. (2(i) Grinnell, Pac. 

 Coast Avif., 11, 1915, p. 95. 



Horned Lark (21) Beck, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club, i, 1899. p. 85. (28) Willett, Condor, 



XII, 1910, p. 171. 



Otocoris insularis (29) Grinnell, Pac. Coast Avif., 3, 1902, p. 45. (30) Linton, Condor, 



x, 1908, p. 127. 

 Oltocorys'i. a[.lp^stris\. insularis (31) Coues, Key N. Am. Birds, 5th ed., 1903, p. 508. 

 0[tocoris'\. aUpestris]. insularis (32) Bailey, Handb. Birds West. U. S., 2d ed., 1904, p. 



269. (33) Reed, N. Am. Birds' Eggs, 1904, p. 228. 

 Otocoris allpestris]. insularis (34) Willett, Condor, xii, 1910, p. 172. (35) Burt, Condor, 



XIII, 1911, pp. 164, 166. 



Resident of the islands. Abundant on some of them and rather rare on oth- 

 ers. Not found on the Coronados. This subspecies was originally described by 

 C. H. Townsend (10) from an adult male taken on San Clemente, January 25, 

 1889. It differs from actia in its decidedly darker coloration, and from strigata 

 in being slightly darker, with the buffy markings grayer, and undei-parts of 

 body usually without yellow. Regarding this form Ridgway (18) says ''The 

 characters .... are most pronounced in specimens from the more north- 

 ern islands of San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz, those from the more south- 

 ern islands of San Clemente, Santa Barbara, San Nicolas and Santa Catalina in- 

 clining towards the mainland form, 0. a. actia, thus indicating the origin of this 

 insular form." This would probably indicate that the island form originated 

 from the latter, but the more northern islands, having a damper climate, would 

 tend to create characters more closely approaching those of strigata of the humid 

 northwest. (See also Oberholser [14].) 



C. B. Linton (30) secured one of these birds, a male, from a large flock at 

 Alamitos Bay, Los Angeles County, on January 18, 1908 (the date given in the 

 l)ublished record is erroneous). It may be a regular winter visitant to the main- 

 land coast, but I think it more likely that this bird was either an individual that 



