30 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 70. 



ing the long breeding season make coniparisons of individuals dif- 

 ficult. Pairing begins witii the first warm days of late winter, and 

 nesting is in progress as early as the last week in March. A second 

 brood is raised in late June or in July. If wintry weather comes 

 after the birds haA'e paired, and continxies for some days, they re- 

 turn to the flocking as in winter. 



This and the preceding form range together all winter. It is no 

 uncommon thing to see flocks coming from the northward over the 

 lake, always low down near the ice or water, especially in late win- 

 ter. Many times such flocks have almost tumbled upon the beach 

 to rest, and show " not the slightest fear when approached." After 

 a short rest, without any effort to feed, they start up and resume 

 their southward flight. They may not have crossed the lake, but 

 the evidence points that way. While Lapland Longspurs and Snow- 

 flakes are often found with the Larks. T have never seen them in 

 companies which were coming in from the north. 



133. Otocoris alpcstris hoijti. — Hoyt Horned Lark. 



^ly records are February 9, 1903, February 24. 1904, February 

 22, 1906. The first record was of four individuals in a flock of Prai- 

 rie Horned Larks ; the other two records were of five and four in- 

 dividuals respectively not in company with other birds. Of course 

 the only sure identification is of a bird in the hand, but the dis- 

 tinctly lighter color than either alpestris or praticola. and the larger 

 size than praticola furnish a clue to the individuals of this form 

 when they are flocking with the others. These three records are all 

 for the eastern edge of the Vermillion iiuadrangle. 



134. Cyanocitta cristata. — Blue Jay. 



Common everywhere except on the smaller islands. More are 

 seen in towns and villages during the winter than in the woods, 

 but the woods are I)y no means deserted. It has beeu present at 

 the western end of the sand spit on all visits, and usually individ- 

 uals are met with along the course of the sand spit eastward. On 

 April and May visits to the Lake Laboratory flocks of Jays have 

 beeu seen flying from the region of the resort grounds diagonally 

 across the bay to the mainland. 1 have not been able to find a sat- 

 isfactory explanation for these flights. A count of the birds in the 

 woods of that area makes it appear that many comprising the flock 

 must have come from outside. It can hardly be a true migration, 

 certainly. In Iowa I have often seen considerable flocks going from 

 one woods in the direction of another woods some two miles dis- 

 tant. It may be no more than a simultaneous change of feeding 

 ground of all the Jays of a small region. I have no evidence of 

 such fluctuations of nundiers as would account for spring and fall 



