THE HORNED LARK. 91 



the nest, and this proved to be the full set in this instance. It 

 is probable that the nest was completed on the 5th, and that 

 one &^^ was laid each day until the four were deposited. On 

 the nth, the bird was sitting; on the i8th, I found that one egg- 

 had just hatched, which made nine days from the laying of the 

 last Q-g^ until the first one hatched ; by the 19th two more were 

 •out and on the 20th the fourth o.g'g was hatched. 



When the bird first comes from the &%%^ the long down on 

 the body, being damp, is matted together in close strings, and 

 the body is nearly bare ; but, quickly drying, the bird is soon 

 enveloped in a soft, fluffy, yellowish covering. The down grows 

 in patches and lines upon the top and back of the head, back, 

 sides, and wings. On the 20th, the eyes of these young birds 

 were closed ; but, by the 25th, all four had them fully open, and 

 their plumage proper had developed very rapidly, so that they 

 began really to resemble young shore larks. Only one of them 

 showed any inclination to open its mouth for food when dis- 

 turbed. Taking one upon the palm of my hand, I found that 

 it had gained considerable strength, and could nearly stand up- 

 right, but was unable to balance itself, — falling over backward. 

 On April 28, they were still in the nest, but more than filled it, 

 so that one had to sit out on the edge. As the wind was blow- 

 ing hard, they sat very close, with their heads drawn well 

 down and facing the direction from which the gale came. 

 They paid no attention to my approach, or even to being 

 gently poked, beyond shrinkmg a little closer to the ground. 

 Their instinct told them that if the strong wind caught them 

 unawares, they might suffer a rough tumble. On the 29th they 

 were gone, and the only one to be found was started by the dog 

 some hundred yards from the nest. I had stepped nearly upon 

 it, without its starting. It was unable to rise up on wing, but 

 ran and fluttered along, crying loudly, which brought the par- 

 ents immediately. They showed great concern for a moment, 

 but, upon the fledgling being taken in my hand, left the place 

 entirely. The young bird could run very rapidly, but could 

 not stand still well. Its note was a loud peep. 



The shore lark breeds most abundantly in April, May and 



