THE OOLOGIST. 



143 



as this species. And the House Wren 

 will make a nest in each of several 

 boxes, if ouewill put them up, and only 

 lay in one. This is the greatest pecu- 

 liarity. 



The Short bill sings in the night and 

 is the only bird I have ever heard do so 

 in Buena Vista Co. This makes it an 

 especial favorite with me, and on the 

 whole I think it is much the most in- 

 teresting species I know. It seems to 

 me I could write several hours yet and 

 tell something new on each page, but if 

 I do, it will take a whole Oologist to 

 contain the article so I will "cork up'' 

 hoping to hear more of this bird through 

 the Oologist. 



POOCAETES, 

 Indianola, Iowa. 



The Prairie Horned Lark. 

 Otocoris alpestris praticola. 



During the winter months when the 

 snow covers field and woodland; when 

 the streams are hidden from view by 

 the Frost King's icy coating, and the 

 cold wind is driving the snow in clouds 

 over fences, and through thickets where 

 in summer time the lively trill of num- 

 berless feathered songsters greets the 

 ear, how eagerly we listen as from 

 across the snowy waste we catch the 

 pleasing though broken whistle of the 

 Prairie Horned Larks, as, in flocks of 

 from a half dozen to twenty or more, 

 they wing their undulating flight, or 

 pause to rest for a short time on the 

 earth's white mantle, picking what few 

 stray seeds the wind has left on the 

 weed-stalks projecting^ above the snow. 



Otocoris alpestris praticola. — part of 

 whose common name is derived from 

 the tufts of black feathers over each ear 

 resembling horns which it has the pow- 

 er of erecting at will, is quite common 

 in this part of the state nearly the en- 

 tire year. 



I have noted the bird every month in 



the year except two, and one of our 

 best authorities has observed it every 

 month in the year. Hence, from these 

 observations 1 conclude that praticola 

 is without doubt a resident here. 



The Prairie Horned Lark is most fre- 

 quently found in meadows, pastures, 

 or newly plowed fields, usually breed- 

 ing in either of the first two mentioned, 

 and repairiug to the last after the 

 young are old enough to fly, the whole 

 family following along after the har- 

 row, similar to the Blackbird. 



Seldom, if ever does this bird perch 

 in trees. Its favorite resting place 

 when not on the ground, is a stone wall 

 or fence, from which elevation with 

 •'horns" erect, it will carry on quite an 

 animated avian conversation with a 

 companion standing perhaps, on a 

 large stone a little distance off in the 

 field below. 



The song of this lark when heard in 

 summer, is quite plain and common- 

 place compared with the bubbling bal- 

 lad of the Bobolink, the soft warble of 

 the Bluebird, or the exuberant whistle of 

 the Baltimore Oriole; but when the 

 cold days of early autumn and winter 

 approach, and all these gayer minstrels 

 leave us, then it is, that its cheery tseep, 

 tseep, is most thoroughly appreciated. 



Very aptly has Langille expressed 

 the song in these words: "Quit, quit, 

 guit, you silly rig and get away, "the 

 first three syllables uttered slowly, and 

 the others more hurridly run together. 



A noticable characteristic of this bird 

 is its graceful walk; its equilibrium 

 being maintained by an easy nodding 

 motion of the head. 



Although in the west this Lark is 

 said to rear three broods of young in 

 a season, only two broods in a season 

 are raised in this locality. The first 

 during March, or early in April, the 

 last about the first of June. 



The writer has found four nests of 

 this species, tlrree of them in the same 

 field — an old pasture — within a few 



