262 Henshaw on the North American Shore Larks. [J"ly 



If one would be consistently conservative and refrain from swell- 

 ing our bird lists with new names, it is absolutely necessary to 

 i"efrain from the study of specimens. The widely differing clima- 

 tological and topographical conditions prevailing within our ter- 

 ritory are reflected in the great variety of animal forms. It is 

 absolutely necessary to a proper understanding of the subject that 

 these forms, whether properly ranking as species or only as vari- 

 eties — incipient species — should be studied and the method and 

 amount of their variations recorded. Notwithstanding that the 

 professional book-maker, to whom the constantly changing and 

 swelling bird lists are a nuisance, may call a halt, the work of 

 elucidating these forms and formally cataloguing them must go 

 on till all the facts of geographical variation are fully set forth. 

 The practical necessities to be met in the case of the Horned 

 Larks are the establishment of a sufficient number of geograph- 

 ical races to serve for the reception of specimens, due care being 

 exercised to recognize by name no form not sufficiently differen- 

 tiated to be capable of clear definition ; added to which is the 

 requirement that everj' form recognized shall be known to inhabit 

 a definite geographical area. Of course it is not pretended that 

 by the acceptance of the above forms the identification of every 

 specimen of Otocorys taken within the limits of the area treated 

 of becomes at once easy and certain. To suppose this, one must 

 know little indeed of the manner in which species and varieties 

 vary according as they approach and recede from the central 

 points where they are most strongly marked. 



On the contrary, in the case of the Horned Lurks, one must 

 expect to find in any considerable collection a number of speci- 

 mens to assign which to their proper forms becomes a matter of 

 nice judgment and of thorough understanding of the subject. 

 It is believed, however, that by the above arrangement the 

 Horned Larks can be treated as satisfactorily as any other vari- 

 able species ; certainly as easily as the Song Sparrows. Due 

 allowance mvist of course be made for individual variation and for 

 the occurrence of intermediate specimens — those reared in local- 

 ities between the centres of two forms, and hence showing in 

 varying degree the characters of either race. Very rarely indeed 

 will specimens 'be found that display the characters of two forms 

 so equally that it is impossible to decide to which form they 

 most incline. By far the larger proportion of specimens are well 



