Widman A Preliminary Catalog of the Birds of Missouri. 143 



state. Flocks of Horned Larks seen in winter on the sand bars 

 of the Mississippi opposite St. Louis were apparently of this 

 larger and darker form. Mr. E. S. Currier says that it appears 

 in December at Keokuk and is seen off and on until early 

 February and that the Prairie Horned Lark seems to be absent 

 or scarce during that period. Mr. Sidney S. Wilson gives me 

 the following dates for this subspecies at St. Joseph: February 

 22, 1896, twenty; February 15, again seen; February 21, 

 bulk present; April 4, last; adding that there were a few 

 Prairie Horned Larks with them. 



*474b. OTOCORIS ALPESTRIS PRATICOLA Hensh. Prairie 

 Horned Lark. 

 EremophUa alpestris praticola. Prairie Lark. Horned Lark. 



Geog. Dist. Breeds from eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska 

 and Manitoba eastward to New England and eastern Quebec. 

 In winter withdrawing from northern regions, and extending 

 its range to Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, etc. 



In Missouri a fairly common resident in all parts on cultivated 

 ground, high and low, not only in the prairie and Ozark border 

 region, but in the cleared tracts of the Ozarks themselves and in 

 the marshes of the flood plains of the large rivers. Small troops, 

 sometimes in company with Lapland Longspurs, wander about 

 in search of food, resorting to the bare wind-swept hillsides 

 when the ground elsewhere is covered with snow. When the 

 snow becomes too deep, or when sleet and ice crusts bury every- 

 thing, hunger drives them to the farms and highways which they 

 follow into villages, towns and cities. They are most conspicuous 

 late in February and March, their time of mating and nest- 

 building, when their queer song is in the air for many minutes 

 at a time, and again when the youngsters are brought to the 

 country roads and are taught the advantages of the dust bath. 



[474.k. OTOCORIS ALPESTRIS HOYTI Bishop. Hoyt's Horned 



Lark.] 



Geog. Dist. Breeds from Hudson Bay to the Mackenzie 

 River and south to Lake Athabasca. Migrates to Nevada, 

 Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, casually 

 to Ohio and New York. 



As this lately separated large pale subspecies has been taken 

 at different places in eastern Nebraska, it may be presumed that 



