82 BIRDS OF MAINE. 



Suborder OSCINES. Song Birds. 

 Family ALAUDID^. Larks. 

 Genus OTOCORIS Bonaparte. 



197. (474). Otocoris alpestris (Linn.). Horned Lark. 

 Occurs only as a winter resident and then is subject to periods of 



variable abundance. It is of somewhat local occurrence, being 

 met with commonly in some places, while not occurring at all in 

 others. 



County Records. Androscoggiu, "rare migrant" (Johnson) ; Cumber- 

 land, "gregarious winter resident of variable abundance'' (Brown's Cat. 

 Birds of Portland, p. 17) ; Knox, "winter" (Rackliff) ; Oxford, "occurs 

 in winter at Norway" (Verriirs List of Birds of Norway) ; Piscataquis, 

 "common" (Homer) ; Washington, "very rare" (Boardman). 



198. (474b). Otocoris alpestris praticola Hensh. Prairie 

 Horned Lark. 



The published records of this subspecies and the preceding 

 species have been inextricably mixed, and consequently I have 

 been obliged to ignore all previous records of either and only admit 

 records which are made on the basis of specimens actually in exis- 

 tence. The first published record of the occurrence of praticola in 

 Maine will be found in the Maine Sportsman for April, 1897, 

 page 6. Mr. J. C. Mead of North Bridgton, the author of the 

 above cited article writes me as follows : "On March 13th, 1897, 

 my attention was called to a flock of about 25 birds feeding busily 

 in the street near the outskirts of our village (North Bridgton, 

 Cumberland Co.). I secured four specimens. Measurements and 

 descriptions led me to believe that I had secured the Prairie Horned 

 Lark. Mr. A. H. Norton who has examined all the skins pro- 

 nounces them typical of this variety." Mr. Norton writes that two 

 of these are males by dissection, one a male by proportions and 

 markings, and the remaining one a female by dissection. A pair 

 of these birds in the collection of the University of Maine are 

 typical specimens. They were killed at Bucksport, Hancock Co. 

 about '86 or '87, in the winter, by Alvah G. Dorr. Mr. Harry 

 Merrill has a typical male which was killed at Bangor, Peuobscot 

 Co., March 30th, 1887. Mr. Wallace Homer of Monson, Piscata- 

 quis Co., has a fairly typical example which is a male according to 

 appearances. Prof. A. L. Lane of Waterville, Keunebec County, 



