144 NORTH AMERICA X niRDS-. 



Var. cliryM>In;iiia< 



Jhnuht fhri/.'^iiliciiii, \\.\i.l.. Isis, ].S31, ;!5(). — lioNAl'. 1'. Z. S. 1S:)7, 111. O/nrnri/.i cJi. 

 FlKscll, Alili. Xal. 1^7ll, 3-11. JIkihIu iniiKu; (illiAil), lii S|i. 'I'i\. 1!. 18 11. AUiiuln 

 riifa, Ain. lUnls Am. VII, l.'*4;), 'iU'i, pi. occoxrvii. (i/oivris i\, llr,i;i:M. X. s, \'t. 

 Hi/ocori/s /lercgrina, Sci.. 1'. Z. S. 185r>, 110, \<\. cii. L'rcmophi/a p., Sci,. Cut. .Vui. P.. 

 1800, 127. 



CiiAi!. Adult. Fmiitiil cresoent Ic.-^s tliaii hall' as widu as tin' lilai'k. Tliidat ami loiv- 

 lirad (li'cp straw-yclliiw ; piiikisii lints aliovc deep cilinaiiion. 



(I. Spi'ciincns I'loiii Caliloniia and Mexico, streaks on back, eti'., very olisolele; liarker 



centra! stripi! to middle tail-leathei's si-arcely oliservaliie ; white henealli. 



Meiisureiiieiils. (3, "ill", ^J. Tonila, Mexico,) winjr, I! SO ; tail. 2.7"); bill, .•"<•! — -l") — .I-- 



" (9,11"), ^, Mexico,) '• 4.10; " LMH); " .(W — .1:! - ,r,(). 



" (;i,!«n, ^, Calilbniia,) " 3.8."); '• 2.75; '• .51! — .1 I — . I.",. 



0W>8'-', ^, (it. Salt Lake City.)'' 1.10; " 2.80; '^ .(i2 — .!(; — . 32. 



b. Specimens from coast of Oi-ec-on and Washington Territory. Streaks on hack, etc., 



very conspi(nions; dark central striiie ol' tail-feathers distinct ; yellow heiiealh. 



Measurementn. (8,734 $ . Tort Steilacoom,) wing-, 3.75; fail, 2.(iO; hill, .(11 15 — .40. 



TIaii. Middle America, from tliti desert regions of the sonllicrii iliddlo l'roviii(;c of 

 North America, south to ISogota. 



IlAiilTS. Assiimiiio; the Sliorc Lark of tlic Labviidor coii.st and tlio riit'ou.s 

 Lark of the Westorn pniiries to bo one mid tho siuiio sjiccius, but sliglitly 

 modified by difl'erence.s of locality, eliniate, or food, we have lor this species, 

 at all times, a wide raiiu'c, and, diiriiio; the breed! no-season, a very iinu.stud 

 peciiliaiily, — their iibnndaut distributiun thrungh two vvidel}' distant tind 

 essentially dilfereiit regions. 



During a large portion of the year, or I'roin October to April, these birds 

 may be found in all ])arts of the United States. Dr. AVoodhou.se found them 

 very common throughout Textis, the Indian Territory, N'ew Me.xico, tind Cal- 

 ifornia. ]Mr. Dresser states that he found the western variety — whieli he 

 thinks essentially dilTereut iu several res])eets from the eastern — in gretit 

 numbers, from October to the end of March, in the ])rairies around San 

 Antonio. Afterwards, at (ialveston, in May and June, 18t)4, he noticed and 

 shot sevend specimens. Althongh he did not succeed iu finding any nests, 

 he was very sure that they were breeding there. It is common, during win- 

 ter, on the Atlantic coa.st, from Massachusetts to South Caroliiiii. In Elaine 

 it is compartitively rare. In Arizona, Dr. Cones s])e!iks of the western fomi 

 as a i)ermanent resident in .all situations adapted to its wtints. The same 

 writer, who also had an o])portunity of observing the eastern variety in 

 Labrador, where he found it very abundant on all the moss-covered islands 

 around the coast, could notice nothing in their voice, llight, or general man- 

 ners, diiferent from their usuiil htibits in tlunr southern migrations, except 

 that during the breeding-season they do not associate in flocks. 



IJichardson states that this Lark arrives in the fur coiuitries in company 

 with the Lapliind Jhinting, with which it a.ssocitites, and, being a shyer bird, 

 woidd act as sentinel and give the alarm ou the ai)proaeh of danger. As Mr. 



