28 THE O. & O. SEMI-ANNUAL. 
It is a beautiful sight to watch the Herons, some setting in the 
nests, some flying and some standing tall and majestic upon the dead 
snags, and it makes a picture long to be remembered with pleasure. 
THE LARK FINCH. 
Ohondestes Grammica. 
BY J. A. SINGLEY, GIDDINGS, TEXAS. 
The Lark Sparrow is a common summer resident here, arriving 
from the rst to the roth of April, and departing early in November. 
It can be found anywhere in the uplands and prairies during its stay 
with us ; but it does not frequent the bottoms. It is one of our best 
singers and occupies the same position here that the Grass Finch does 
in the northern states. The birds mate shortly after their arrival, and 
by May rst nest building is in order, and eggs can be taken from the 
roth of May until the last of July. The first nests are usually placed 
on the ground, but with the advance of the season as many or more 
nests will be found in trees and bushes than on the ground. 
The nest varies considerably, sometimes being of grass throughout 
(this is the case when built on the ground) and again, of a mixture 
of grass and weeds lined with horse-hair. Very often an old Mock- 
ingbird nest is appropriated and reduced to smaller dimensions by 
filling up with grass and lining with hair. On one occasion I found 
where the Lark Finch had fitted up a nest of the Orchard Oriole, en- 
larging it to suit and depositing its eggs in the swinging nest. 
Like most of the Sparrows, this species is sober colored. The up- 
per parts grayish-brown, the middle of the back streaked with black : 
under parts white, tinged with brownish, a black blotch on the breast, 
top of head chestnut, with a median stripe of whitish. The lateral 
tail feathers are black, tipped with white. When flying, the tail is 
spread and the white tips show plainly, making it one of the easiest 
of the Sparrows to identify. The usual number of eggs in a set is 
four or five, but I have found as many as eight eggs in a set. Color, 
grayish-white, spotted and marked with dark, almost black lines and 
scrawls. ‘The eggs resemble those of the Baltimore Oriole. Aver- 
age, .85x.65. 
