146 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. . 



These birds reach Labrador early in June, when the male birds are very 

 pugnacious, and outage iVciiuently in very singular figiits, in which often 

 several otliers besitles the tirst jjarties join, fluttering, biting, and tunil)ling 

 over in the manner of the Euro[)oan House Sparrow. The male is described 

 as singing sweetly while on the wing, but its song is comparatively short. It 

 will also sing while on the ground, but less fretpiently, and with less fulness. 

 Its call-note is quite mellow, and is at times so altered, in a vcntriloquial 

 manner, as to seem like that of auotlier bird. As soon as the young are 

 hatclied tlieir song ceases. It is said to feed on grass-seeds, the blossoms 

 of small plants, and insects, often catching the latter on the wing, and 

 following them to a considerable distance. It also gathei-s minute crusta- 

 ceans on the sea-shore. 



]\Ir. liidgway Ibund this species abundant over the arid wastes of the inte- 

 rior, and, in Tnany localities, it was almost the only bird to be found. In its 

 habits he could obser\e no differences between this bird and the alpcstris. 

 He met with their nests and eggs in the Truckee Reservation, June 3. The 

 nest was embedded in tlie hard, grassy ground, l)eneath a small scraggy sage- 

 busli, on tlie mesa, between tlie river and the mountains. 



Air. J. K. Lord mentions that, having encamped at Cedar Springs on the 

 Great Plains t)f the Columbia, where the small stream was tlie oidy water 

 within a long distance, he became interested in watching the movements of 

 tliese Larks. As e\ening approaclied they came boldly in among the mules 

 and men, intense thirst overcoming all sense of fear. He found these hand- 

 some little birds very plentiful throughout British Columbia. They were 

 nesting very early on tliose sandy plains, even before the snow had left the 

 ground. He saw young fledglings early in May. 



A single specimen of this species was taken at Godhaab, Greenland, in 

 Octol)er, 1835. , « . 



Egg.s from Labrador are much larger in size than those from Wisconsin. 

 Two eggs from the tirst, one obtained by Mr. Thienemann, the other by Mr. 

 George Peck, of J'>urlingtf)n, Vt., measure .93 and .94 of an inch in length by 

 .71 in breadth ; while some from tiie West are only .83 in length and .03 

 in breadtli, their greatest lengtli being .90, and their largest breadth .69 of 

 an incli. In tlieir ground-color and markings, eggs from both localities vary 

 about alike. The ground-color varies from a purplish-white to a dark gray, 

 while the spots are in some a brownish-lavender, in others a brown, and, 

 (juite fre(iuently, an olive-brown. In some they are in larger, scattered 

 blotches ; while in others they are in very fine minute dots so thickly and so 

 uniformly ditfused as almost to conceal the ground. 



