1SS4.] Hknsuaw 0)1 ///(■ Nor/// Anicrircn/ S/iorc /.ar/,-s. '^^1 



been said before as to the manner in which the races mingle 

 geographically for a portion of the year, it will be readily under- 

 stood how extremely unsatisfactory would be results which are 

 dependent in any considerable degree upon a study of winter 

 specimens. In addition, therefore, to the material contained in 

 the Smithsonian collection and in my own private cabinet, the 

 writer found it necessary to call upon friends in various parts of 

 the United States, who have responded most generously to his 

 i^equest for specimens. The aggregate material he has thus been 

 enabled to consult in the preparation of the present paper is 

 believed to be greater than has ever before been brought together, 

 at least in this country. No fewer than 350 specimens are now 

 before him, representing the birds geographically so thoroughly 

 that no area of any considerable size within the United States is 

 believed to be unrepresented. 



Before proceeding to formally diagnose the accepted forms, it 

 may be well to briefly mention each race in relation to the area it 

 occupies. 



I. Alpestris. — The first question that presents itself is the 

 relation of the Shore Lark of Northeastern North America to its 

 European congener. Small as is the series of European birds at 

 the writer's present disposition, it is large enough to show that 

 the difTerences between the bird inhabiting the northern portions 

 of Europe and the bird of Hudson's Bay, Labrador, and New- 

 foundland are not sufficient to separate them even varietally. 

 This is in accordance with the conclusions of Ridgway, Coues, 

 and others. Specimens of European origin can be selected that 

 are practically indistinguishable from our birds and that difler 

 less from individual examples of the latter than these do from 

 others bred in the same locality, between which, of course, the 

 differences are purely individual. The bird from Northeastern 

 America may, therefore, be considered identical with the O. 

 alpest)-is of the Old World. It would be extremely interesting 

 to carry the comparison further, and to ascertain the relations 

 borne by the several races of the Horned Lark of this country to 

 the varieties into which the Old World bird is divided. A single 

 specimen from southern Russia differs markedly from the O. 

 alpestris of Northern Europe. It evidently represents a x^xy 

 large and extremely pale race, caiTying the peculiarities of size 

 and pallid coloration even further than does our leucoJivma. 



