THE PEAIEIE HOENEL) LAEK. 335 



etc., a2)pein- to be pretenvd Ijy tlicse birds to the inoro iV-rtile sections, and in 

 such h;>cahtie.s they are generally common. 



The Prairie Horned Lark is a hardy bird, and not a tew arc constant resi- 

 dents, even along- our northern border, throug-hont the greater jjart of the year, 

 going- soutlnvard only during- unusually heavy snowstorms in the latter part of 

 December or the beginning- of January, but frequentl}- reappearing on tlieii- 

 breeding grounds early in February, and by the latter part of the month most 

 of these birds luive already mated. 



According to Prof Walter B. Barrows, of the United States Department of 

 Agricidture, the food of our Horned Lark consists principally of seeds of dif- 

 ferent grasses, like those of the pigeon, foxtail, and Hungarian (Scfdria), also of 

 those of different species of Poli/fjoniim (Ijindweed, knotweed, and smartweed), 

 those of the ragweeds (Ambrosia), pigweed (Clicmqwdiutii), etc. Broken kernels 

 of oats and other grains have also been found in their stomachs, evidently 

 picked up in the roads and streets among the di-oppings of horses. During 

 spring and summer, when small insects abound, a portion of their food consists 

 of young locusts and grasshoj^pers, small beetles and their lar-va', and hairless 

 caterjjillars, and the young nestlings at least are fed to some extent on insect 

 food. From an economic point of view, all our Horned Larks must be con- 

 sidered as useful birds, doing far more good than harm, and even if they do 

 now and then pull up some young grain, or pick up newly sown grain or 

 grass seed which may have l)een left uncovered, as it is asserted they occasion- 

 ally do, such damage is at best but very trifling, and is far more than compen- 

 sated for by the good tliey do in eating the seeds of many noxious weeds and the 

 destruction of injurious insects, and in my opinion they deserve full protection. 

 Their stomachs in most cases contain a large percentage of sand, which assists 

 them greatly in the digestion of the small hard seeds on which the}' live to a 

 great extent. 



The late Mr. G. E. Harris kindly sent me the following notes on this sub- 

 species, as observed by him in the vicinity of Buffalo, New York, for several 

 seasons. He wrote: "The Prairie Horned Lark is a very common summer resi- 

 dent in this vicinit}', and usually arrives here during the first thaw in Februar}', 

 coming in flocks which sometimes number hundreds. This season (1893) I first 

 noted them oa February l-f; but owing to sickness ni)' observations onl}' covered 

 what could be seen from my window. They appear to be unmated wlien they 

 first an-ive, but love making commences soon after, and Ijy the 1st of I\Iarch they 

 are all mated; for the males are then in full song — an indescribable warble — and 

 they may be seen chasing the females continually, like the Bobolinks, but they 

 are not nearly as shy as the latter, as there are no hiding- places at this season 

 on the bare fields or pastures which they frequent. A nesting site is chosen as 

 soon as the snow commences to disappear in March, and early in the season one 

 is always selected on a little knoll or on a slight rise of ground in a pasture or 

 meadow. The nests here are nsuall}- built on the east side of such a knoll, for 

 protection from the cold west winds; they are mostly placed alongside a piece of 



