136 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 100 



ing the spot I looked in vain for the bird until I finally caught 

 sight of her flying away, and soon found the nest, plainly 

 visible with its single egg, the only dark spot in the snow- 

 covered area. The following year, on April 1, while trying 

 my skill, pitching- a heavy stone with two companions, a Lark 

 flew towards us, and dipping close to the ground flew over 

 the spot where the stone had fallen. We soon found a newly 

 completed nest within a few feet of this stone. 



Inclement and uncertain weather is naturally the chief 

 vicissitude of a ground nesting bird at this early date. After 

 the Larks have commenced nesting we frequently have 

 storms with a fall of wet snow or rain, followed by a lower 

 temperature, sufficient to glaze the fields with an icy cover- 

 ing. This is often disastrous and the birds have to recom- 

 mence. These conditions were especially noticeable during 

 the springs of 1907, 1912-13-14-15. 



After a period of eleven days' incubation the young make 

 their appearance, and during early growth their parents 

 spend much time in adjacent ploughed fields. 



Although I have little exact data on the food supplied to 

 the young, I know that many insects in the larval stage are 

 taken, in fact, at this season most insects are still in that con- 

 dition. I believe that the early nesting of this species is more 

 than merely coincident with the operations of ploughing and 

 harrowing the soil, which are usually in progress at the time 

 young Larks are hatched. This repeated working of the 

 soil keeps a constant supply of larva exposed at a time wdien 

 the need of the Larks is greatest and competition with other 

 species least. They are thoroughly in accord with the proverb 

 " It's the early bird that catches the worm." In this respect 

 it would be interesting to compare the habits of Larks nest- 

 ing in virgin prairie districts. Unfortunately I have found 

 little data, beyond nesting dates, for prairie-nesting Larks. 

 Some authorities describe western and southern birds as 

 comparatively late, but whether for birds nesting in an un- 

 tilled region is not stated. 



The male bird is as busy as his mate at this season and has 



