T^O D WIGHT on the Horned Larks. [April 



clear and rather creamy at all seasons. This race also often has 

 the feathers of the ' knee ' yellow. 



Although the Mexican material is limited to a few specimens, 

 it suffices to show that while birds from Vera Cruz and the Valley 

 of Mexico average a little larger and perhaps yellower-throated than 

 those from San Francisco, all may be included in the same race. 

 Breeding birds from southern California are often indistinguish- 

 able even in size from Mexican examples, and although San Fran- 

 cisco birds are redder and sometimes identical with true rubea, 

 the majority are more like Mexican specimens than they are like 

 rubea. 



The habitat assigned admits chrysoltema to California in a 

 narrow belt west of the Coast Range Mountains. Although 

 adnata and pallida practically cut the habitat of chrysolcema in 

 two, material at hand does not show that the Mexican bird is 

 separable. Mr. Henshaw thought the California birds were all 

 rubea, and referred Audubon's supposed type of Ala u da rnfa to 

 this form . I have examined it, and refer it to chrysolcema, restricting 

 rubca to the Sacramento Valley. What may occur in the San Joa- 

 quin Valley remains to be proved. A Ft. Tejon specimen is very 

 faded and approaches arenicola, as already noted. A winter speci- 

 men from Bogota^ (described by Sclater as a new species, pere- 

 grinct) is very small, but does not differ appreciably otherwise. 



Average measurements of 30 breeding males: wing, 99.3 mm. (3.91); 

 tail, 68.3 mm. (2.69) ; tarsus, 20. S mm. (.82) ; bill from nostril, 9.4 mm. 

 (.37 in.). 



Specimens examined: £, 90; $, 36; young in first plumage, 3. 

 Localities represented: [Bogota, U. S. of Columbia]?: *Valley of Mex- 

 ico and *Mirador (near Vera Cruz), Mexico; *San Quentin, Lower 

 Cala. ; San Diego, Elsinore, San Gorgonio Pass, Riverside, *Los Angeles, 

 Pasadena, *Alhambra, Ventura Co., *Santa Barbara, San Simeon, 

 Los Gatos, San Jos^, San Francisco, *Oakland, *Haywards, *Altamont, 

 Stockton, *Nicasio. and *Sonoma Co., California. 



S. Otocoris alpestris rubea Heiish. Ruddy Horned Lark. 



Habitat. — Sacramento Vallev, California. 



Bright rufous suffusing the whole plumage and merging into 

 the ruddy brown of the back without abrupt change, distinguishes 

 this race from chrysolcema. It averages a very little smaller, and 

 as it is restricted to a small area the geographical variation is 

 slight. Cut off by high mountains from adjacent races north and 



