HORNED LARK. 127 
these races are found in the eastern United States, the 
Horned Lark and the Prairie Horned Lark. The former 
visits us in the winter; the latter occurs at all seasons, 
but during the summer is found only in, certain regions. 
At this season it inhabits the upper Mississippi Valley, 
whence it extends eastward through northwestern Penn- 
sylvania and central New York to western Massachu- 
setts. From October to April it may be found with the 
Horned Lark as far south as South Carolina. The two 
birds differ in size and color. The Horned Lark’s wing 
averages 4°27 inches in length, the Prairie Lark’s wing 
averages but 4°08 inches in length; the former's forehead 
and eye-line are yellow, the latter’s white. 
Horned Larks are eminently terrestrial, rarely if 
ever choosing a higher perch than a fence. When on 
the ground they do not hop, but walk or run. When 
flushed they take wing with a sharp, whistled note, but 
often return to the place from which they started. When 
nesting, they may be found in fields, pastures, and plains 
in seattered pairs, but during the winter they are asso- 
ciated in flocks, which resort to the vicinity of the sea- 
coast or large open tracts in the interior. The nest is, 
of course, built on the ground. The eggs, three or four 
in number, are pale bluish or greenish white, minutely 
and evenly speckled with grayish brown. 
The Horned Lark, like its famous relative and many 
other terrestrial species, sings while on the wing, soaring 
high above the earth, and often repeating its song many 
times before alighting. The effort is worthy of better 
results, for the bird’s song is simple and unmusical. 
