GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 



Family 17. — Alaudidje, the Larks. 

 EremopJiUa cornuta, Boie., (horued sky-lark.) 



685 



Rah. — Everywhere on the j)rairies and desert plains of ISTorth America 

 Atlantic States in winter. 



The horned lark is met with in greater abundance than any other bird 

 on our great western plains. They are very tame, often letting youi)ass 

 within six or eight feet of them without appearing disturbed, and then 

 they generally run a little to one side instead of taking flight. 



Family 18. — Icterid^, the Orioles. 



(Sub-family Jc^mwfe, tJie Orioles pro2)er.) 

 Icterus [Hypliantes) huUoclcii, Cassiu, (Bullock's oriole:) 



No. 



/ 



H 



10 



11 



17 



23 



51 



53 



58 



93 



94 



95 



127 



128 



130 



131 



Catalogiie- 

 uuiuber. 



61713 

 61714 

 61715 

 61716 

 61717 

 61718 

 61719 

 61720 

 61721 

 61722 

 61723 

 61724 

 61782 

 61783 

 61784 

 61785 



Sex, 



9 

 9 

 <? 



9 



$ 

 $ 

 $ 



Date. 



Measure- 

 ments. 



June 

 Juue 

 June 

 Juue 

 Juue 

 Juue 

 Juue 

 Juue 

 Juffe 

 Juue 

 Juue 

 June 

 Juue 

 June 

 Juue 

 June 



5, 1872 



5, 1872 



6, 1872 



6, 1872 



6, 1872 



7, 1872 



12, 1872 



12, 1872 



14, 1872 



18, 1872 



18, 1872 



18, 1872 



28, 1872 



28, 1872 



28, 1872 



28, 1872 



8A X 12i 



8i- X 

 7-psX 

 8 X 

 8i X 

 71- X 

 8i X 

 8 X 

 8-} X 

 8i\ X 



1QJ3 



12* 



112- 



12f 



12| 

 121 



Number of 



nest. 



2 

 3 

 12 

 13 

 17 

 19 

 29 

 30 

 33 

 48 



(16261) 

 (16262) 

 (16263) 

 (16264) 

 (16266) 

 (16267) 

 (16268) 

 (16269) 

 (16270) 

 (16278) 



Locality. 



Ogdeu, Utah. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 

 Devil's Creek, Idaho. 



Do. 

 ' Do. 



Do. 



Eah. — High central plains to the Pacific; rare on Upper Missouri; 

 south into Mexico. 



The western oriole, in my opinion at least, is the most beautiful of all 

 our western birds. They are very abundant in a large marsh betweeii 

 Ogden and Weber Oauon ; there I collected sixteen of their nests, con- 

 taining over sixty eggs. Tiiey build a beautiful hanging nest, often ten 

 and a half inches deep, aud composed of fibers of grass, flax, and the 

 inner bark of vines, and are generally lined with wool. The first lot 

 were deep and solid, were composed chiefly of the fibers of flax and dry 

 grass, and had a grayish appearance, while the second lot — which were 

 built by the same birds after their first had been taken — were not very 

 deep, had evideutly been made in haste, and were'piin^'ipally composed 

 of the inner bark of small bushes and vines, giving them a brownish 

 look. They generally conceal their nests among the leaves on the top 

 of a willow, from eight to ten feet above the ground, in such a position 

 that it rocks to and fro whenever there is a little wind. 



