84 HORNED LARK. 



Monday the nth. This mornmg I shot several specimens of the 

 horned lark {Ej-emopliila alpestris), and noted the extent of the 

 pinkish color on the wing coverts, rump, and neck usual in spring 

 specimens in the high eastern regions. My long stay upon the coast 

 made me quite familiar with this beautiful songster, and characteris- 

 tic bird of the region, which is abundant all along the north shores 

 of the St. Lawrence from Quebec northward. At Green Island in 

 the river St. Lawrence, I found the lark quite common ; at that 

 time it was rather tame, and could be seen on the low flats of the 

 island hopping about and feeding in close company with the sand- 

 pipers ; they were all single birds and not flocks. I saw them all 

 the fall at Old Fort island, both alone and in large flocks, and al- 

 ways more or less wild. I would often see them flying very high in 

 the air, and uttering their peculiar querulous whistling notes ; some- 

 times flying quite low and somewhat irregularly, but uttering their 

 notes at all times while on the wing. Though common everywhere, 

 they seemed to lead a sort of wild, solitary life that comported 

 w^ell with the wild, solitary region in which they dwelt ; they pre- 

 ferred the plains, fields, and rocky knolls away from houses where 

 they would hop about in twos or threes, or small flocks, picking up 

 their food ; occasionally they would perch on the tops of knolls as 

 if to reconnoitre, then retire and go to feeding again as if satisfied 

 that no enemy was near ; they are very quick and active in their 

 movements, and always wild rather than tame. I saw them often 

 on the shore, and feeding on the kelp in company with the white 

 rumped sandpiper, but never mingling with them as far as I could 

 see. As their brown color corresponds so well with the color of 

 the ground, it was often hard to detect them until a few shrill whis- 

 tles and a hurried flight announced their flushing a short distance 

 ahead. Several that I shot were remarkable for the amount of pink 

 upon them. At times large flocks fly over the island high up in the 

 air, while one of these flocks once alighted upon the island : their 

 extreme wildness was something remarkable. One can hardly say 

 enough of this most charming little fellow and beautiful songster. 

 It breeds here abundantly, and the only time I saw it tame was at, 



