38 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis 
Song 
Season of song.—The extent of the season of song is a sub- 
ject upon which there is little or nothing in the literature. I 
have before me only the following records that give dates of the 
beginning of song: Isley (1912), Sedgwick County, Kansas, 
writes that they begin to sing about the middle of January; 
Langille (1912) gives ‘‘as early as the last days of February’’ 
Knight (1908, Maine) writes that the ‘‘male bird begins to sing 
in late March or early April’’; Chapman (1923, quoting Seton) 
gives ‘‘springtime while the snow is yet upon the ground’’. 
Criddle (1920) reports ‘‘males singing everywhere’’, July 14, 
Manitoba. The following ‘‘late’’ record is by Seton (1908) for 
the subspecies O. a. hoyti, which was in full song on the Barrens 
in the Great Slave Lake region, August 29, 1907. 
As previously noted, the first Larks returned to the breeding 
grounds at Evanston, January 10, 1926; the first song (from 
the ground) was heard January 12 while a stiff gale blew out 
of the northwest and the mercury was near zero; the first flight 
song was noted January 16 and extensive song activity was in 
progress from that day on, except in the most severe weather 
conditions. The last song in 1925 was on July 4 (both ground 
and flight songs), the last flight song in 1926 was on July 3; on 
July 14, a short ground song concluded the season. It should 
be noted here that songs diminished gradually and ceased alto- 
gether fully two weeks before nesting duties had been brought 
to a conclusion. Flight songs were noted September 8 and 
November 6 but had no relation to the breeding season, naturally. 
At Ithaca the first songs (flight and ground) occurred on 
February 19, the last of the season on June 25, 1927. 
There is probably no other Passerine bird that can equal this 
record. What an urge it must be that starts these birds off on 
their snow-covered, wind-swept, zero-cold barrens in January, 
and keeps them at it through March squalls, April showers, May 
storms, June sun and on into July heat, day after day, hour 
after hour, from matins to vespers, from month to month! 
Monthly variations in song numbers.—It is possible only in 
Ter general way to state how the relative number of songs 
varied from month to month. In the case of ground songs sta- 
tistics are, quite obviously, impossible for an entire season for 
