322 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



triumphantly away. I am also of the opinion that the male 

 aids in the work of incubation, though owing to the close 

 resemblance of the birds to each other I am not positive that 

 such is the case. On one or two occasions the cry of "che- 

 bec, che-bec" has been uttered by the bird while on the nest. 



The eggs are laid during the middle portion of June. A 

 nest containing four eggs was found in the fork of a maple 

 tree at Bangor, June 11, 1892. This nest was composed of 

 fine silken plant fibers, willow down, thread and lined with 

 hair. The nest was well cupped, two inches in depth outside 

 by one and a quarter inside, and two and a half in diameter 

 outside by one and a half inches inside. The eggs measure 

 0.63 X 0.52, 0.63 x 0.53, 0.63 x 0.51, 0.64 x 51. The eggs 

 are a pale creamy white, unspotted and three to six but more 

 often four are laid. The incubation period is twelve days and 

 the young leave in about thirteen days after hatching. 



The food is almost entirely of an insect nature, and practi- 

 cally everything in the line of small, winged insects is eaten, 

 also many Lepidopterous larvae. They take many canker-worm 

 larvae, hovering near a leaf and picking them up quickly, in fact 

 practically taking all their food while in the air. The birds 

 indulge in frequent squabbles and bickerings among themselves 

 after their arrival in spring, probably while engaged in mating. 

 A pair will return to the same locality for many seasons. 



Suborder OSCINES. Song Birds. 

 Family ALAUDID^. Larks. 



Key to species of ALAUDIDiE. 



A. Throat, forehead and line over eye yellow. Horned Lark. 



B. Throat, forehead and line over eye white. Prairie Horned Lark. 



Genus OTOCORIS Bonaparte. 



474. Otocoris alpestris (Linn.). Horned Lark; Shore 

 Lark. 



