N0.1271. REVIEW OF THE HORNED LARKS— OBERHOLSER. 857 
Its length (when killed) was 1-^^ inches; alar stretch, 11 inches; wing, from flexure, 
3x"o; above, light brown, each feather being dark dusky near the tip, the extreme 
tip white— giving the appearance of a mixture of light and dark brown, thickly 
speckled with white; in this respect resembling the young of the Shore Lark; the 
greater and lesser wing-coverts broadly edged with yellowish white, and tipped with 
pure white, forming two distinct l)ars, most apparent when the wing is extended; 
the second jtrimary longest, the third shorter than the first, the outer vane of the 
latter white; remaining wing feathers edged with whitish, broadest on the tertials; 
tail of twelve feathers, even, the two middle ones light brown, edged with whitish, 
the remainder dark dusky, the two exterior ones being white on the outer vanes; 
all the under parts pale brownish white, most clear at the lower extreme; bill slender 
and slightly curved, of a horn color above, and lighter below; eyebrows, extending 
back of the eyes, whitish: irides dark hazel; legs and feet nearly black.' 
From adufita^ to which it is most closely allied, occidentaUs differs 
in its much larger size and decidcdh' less ruddy colors above, the nape 
being more pinkish, the ))ack more dusky. It is distinguished from 
oaxacse, by much paler, less rufescent colors above, and by decidedly 
larger size; from both aet'ui and ehrymjpema \\\ greater size, together 
with paler, more brownish coloration. Although of the same dimen- 
sions as leucolsema^ this form may be separated b}^ the darker, more 
cinnamomeous or rufescent shade of the entire upper surface, this 
in summer being particularly noticeable on the cervix; and these 
characters will serve to determine even doubtful specimens at all 
seasons. 
Mr. Henshaw considered" the Otocoris occidentalis of McCalP to be 
indeterminable, but a careful comparison of the original descrii^tion 
with a young horned lark seems to leave little or no doubt a5 to its 
identity. Dr. Dwight says nothing upon the subject, ])ut evidentlj" 
accepts Mr. Henshaw's conclusion.^ Since then, however, the type of 
occidental Ik has come to light in the museum of the Academv of 
Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and the question is thus delinitely 
settled. The chief discrepancy emphasized by Mr. Henshaw was 
that McCall stated the whole of the under surface to be whitish, but 
this remark, as can clearly be seen with specimens of both young 
occidentaUs and alpcdris for comparison, was intended merely to sug- 
gest the general effect of the lower surface as contrasted with the 
strongly yellowish tinge of young a/j)estri-'<- 
The geographical variation exhibited b;, this race has hitherto been 
ol)scured, since Dr. Coues included occidentaUs in his leucoJmma; Mr, 
Henshaw referred it to arenicola^ and Dr. Dwight to adnsta; but the 
form is well worthy of recognition. 
Some of the specimens from northern New Mexico, the vicinity 
from which came the type, incline towards leucoJa'ina., but as a whole 
the birds from this region are much nearer what ma}^ abstractly be 
considered to represent typical occid^italu. Examples from Fort 
'Prog. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Jime, 1851, p. 218. 
/'Auk, I, July, 1884, p. 259. 
^Auk, VII, April, 1890, p. 146. 
