LARKS. 247 



ings more obscure.) In living specimens the lengthened 

 feathers above the ear form two slight " horns." Feet, black. 

 Hind claws, very long. 



b. The Shore Larks breed far to the westward and north- 

 ward of New England ; but, though " seen by Mr. W. Brew- 

 ster, in July, 1869," * they have never been known to breed 

 in this State. Their nests are built on the ground, and their 

 eggs are grayish, thickly marked with brown, and sometimes 

 lilac, and average .90 X .65 of an inch. 



c. The Shore Larks come to New England, from the 

 north, in October, and remain until April. They may be 

 found in Massachusetts, throughout the winter, in loose scat- 

 tered flocks, often associated with other birds, such as Snow 

 Buntings, chiefly on the beaches and marshes along the shore, 

 and never, as a rule, very far from the sea-coast. In spring, 

 however, when the snow has been much melted, they some- 

 times venture inland, and in plowed lands, fields, and roads, 

 pick up many of the seeds, and perhaps a few of the insects, 

 upon which they habitually feed, or which at least afford them 

 satisfactory nourishment. They are very nimble, when on 

 the ground, where they are most of the time, but they have 

 a singular habit of hiding behind stones or in holes, so that 

 when man approaches he is obliged to play at " hide-and-seek " 

 with them, before gaining their acquaintance. They retire 

 in summer to Labrador, where they build their nests near the 

 sea, on the moss-covered rocks. 



d. The Shore Larks seem to possess notes much like those 

 of their celebrated European relation, for, says Wilson, they 

 " have a single cry, almost exactly like that of the Sky Lark 

 of Britain," and " are said to sing well ; mounting in the air, 

 in the manner of the Song Lark of Europe ; but this is only 

 in those countries where they breed." Audubon speaks of the 

 male uttering a very soft and plaintive note, when his nest 

 has been disturbed. 



* At Concord, Massachusetts. It is now known to breed sparingly along 



probable tbat these birds (there were the western borders of New England, 



two of them) were really Prairie W. B. 

 Horned Larks (O. a. prat icola), a form 



