168 



THE AMEEICAN 



with pieces marvellously large, cousideriug the 

 size of the insect and the distance to be travel- 

 led. 



I once fomid in the woods, on the north shore 

 of Lake Michigan, a wasp's nest nearly twice 

 as large as a man's head. It must have been of 

 unusual age, and the musk-like odor exhaled 

 by it was rather offensive. This was the largest 

 nest I ever saw. The smallest I have ever met 

 with was about only two inches in diameter, 

 though perfect in ever}' respect. 



Henry Gillman. 

 Detroit, Michigan. 



INSECTIVOROUS HABITS OP THE PRAIRIE LARK. 

 {Alanda alpestris.) 



By dr. wm. le baro.v, geneva, ills. 



It is still a matter of dispute whether birds, 

 upon the whole, are the friends or the enemies 

 of the husbandman ; whether they do more good 

 by devouring noxious insects, than damage by 

 the destruction of fruits and seeds. Happily for 

 the birds, the ijreponderance of opinion, and 

 still more the proponderance of sentiment, is 

 strongly on their side. For, even admitting 

 that there may be a few species which do more 

 harm than good, yet with regard to birds in 

 general, it is almost universally believed that 

 their existence is essential to the welfare of 

 mankind, and indeed to the harmony of nature, 

 by preserving the balance between the tribes of 

 insects and the vegetable kingdom. It is true 

 that most of them, whilst active in ridding ns 

 of our insect foes, require that we should con- 

 tribute something to their support, and some- 

 times draw pretty heavily upon us; but the 

 species whose name is inscribed at the head of 

 this article, furnishes an example of an humble 

 friend who never obtrudes himself upon our 

 notice, and who, whilst rendering us incalcula- 

 ble benefit, demands from us nothing in return. 



Most persons who have traveled over our 

 Western prairies must have had their attention 

 called to a little brownish colored bird, often 

 seen dusting himself in the road, and who has 

 run or flitted into the neighboring grass as the 

 traveler approached. This is the Alanda alpes- 

 tris, or Prairie Lark, sometimes called — but 

 much less appropriately — the Shore Lark. It 

 belongs to the same genus as the famous Sky Lark 

 of Europe (Alanda arvensis, Linn.) We must 

 take care that similaritj' of names does not lead 

 us to confound this species with the equally 

 common Meadow Lark, which is a much larger 

 and more conspicuous bird, with a gray striped 

 back and a bright yellow breast, and which 



strictly is not a lark, but belongs to the family 

 of starlings. The Prairie Lark is of about the 

 same size as some of the larger kinds of sparrow, 

 though somewhat more slender in shape. The 

 predominant color is a brownish-gray, more 

 strongly tinted with reddish about the neck and 

 shoulders. The color beneath is sordid white, 

 tinted with brown on the breast and sides. 

 There is a broad, black band across the middle 

 of the forehead, terminating laterally above and 

 behind the eye in a little pointed tuft of feathers, 

 which the bird has the power of elevating and 

 depressing at will, so as to resemble little horns. 

 The female is more obscure in her markings, 

 and the little horn-like appendages are wanting. 

 These birds remain with us nearly all the year, 

 and may be seen, even in winter, gleaning a 

 scanty subsistence upon the bare patches of 

 prairie from which the snow has blown off. But 

 the peculiarity of this bird, which has led us to 

 introduce its history as appropriate to this work, 

 is the instinct with which it discovers and des- 

 troys those grubs which infest corn fields, and 

 which often do so much damage to this and 

 some other crops. It came to my knowledge 

 through the observation of an intelligent and 

 observing farmer in my neighborhood, upon 

 whose accuracy entire dependence can be placed. 

 Whilst going through with the first hoeing 

 of his corn, he observed, running about amongst 

 the hills, little grayish birds, which from his 

 description, and from the absence of any similar 

 bird with which it could be easily confounded, 

 I have no doubt was the pi'esent species. Upon 

 observing one of them more attentively, he 

 became interested in watching its operations. 

 Running along near the hills, it.stopped abruptly 

 from lime to time opposite a hill, and stood still 

 as if listening; then, having apparently deter- 

 mined its direction, it inserted its bill at a short 

 distance from a spear of corn, and by a rapid, 

 rotary motion, partiallj' buried itself in the loose 

 earth, and then jerking backwards, dragged out 

 a large grub, which, from its situation, may be 

 reasonably supposed to be one of those larvse, 

 of which there are several different kinds, known 

 by the name of cut-worms. Taking this worm 

 in its bill it ran along, until by its acute sense 

 of hearing, or by some other instinct, it became 

 aware of the presence of another of its insect 

 prey. Then, laying down the one previously 

 obtained, it quickly dislodged another in the 

 same manner, and seizing them both in its bill 

 again pursued the search. Having obtained as 

 many as it could carry, it flew off' to the neigh- 

 boring grass-field, having in all probability a 

 brood of young awaiting its arrival. Not unfre- 



