Pies Ow s@: SEMEANNUAL. 27 
THE PRAIRIE HORNED LARK. 
Otocoris Alpestris Praticola. 
BY LYNDS JONES, GRINNELL, IOWA. 
There can no longer remain any doubt that Prairie Horned 
Lark (O. a. praticola) does occur pretty generally east of the 
Rocky Mts., most commonly in the Mississippi valley, north of 
Arkansas. Too many specimens have been taken near and on 
the Atlantic coast for one to say that it is a straggler so far east. 
Its close resemblance to the eastern form—smaller and a ‘‘leetle 
paler,’ makes it somewhat confusing, occurring as it does in 
company of a/pestris. While you of the east are searching among 
alpestris for praticola, we of the Miss. valley are searching among 
praticola for alpestris ; you for the eastern gradation, we for the 
western. 
As the result of a somewhat extended search, I have about 4o 
skins before me, besides the careful record of many taken which 
were not skinned. After a close study of ‘*Coue’s Key,” ‘‘Ridg- 
way’s Manual” and Mr. W. Henshaw’s excellent article in the 
“Auk,” (Vol. 1, p- 264) I concluded that alpestris would be 
most likely to be found among the brighter colored birds. Ac- 
cordingly I have selected five very bright skins, (none of the oth- 
ers being at all bright) and find their measurements to be as fol- 
lows (measurements are of the wing only) : 4.10, 4.09, 4.08, 4.04, 
4.03 inches; dwarfs if they are alpestris! The wings of five 
Wery pale skins are, 4.18, 4.15, 4.13, 4.12, 4.12. All are-in breed- 
ing plumage. I give also the wing measurement of five females : 
4,00, 3.88, 3.98, 3.78, 3.76. Thus it is seen that while the bright 
colored males average 4.07, the pale ones average 4.14, and the 
females 3.86. Even my largest male (which, unfortunately, is 
the palest of all) does not come with 2-100 of an inch of the 
smallest a/festris, according to Ridgway, and the largest bright 
colored one falls a whole .10 below! No adlfestris here! Mr. 
Ridgway makes the average pratico/a 4.13; mine are 4.12, lack- 
ing the larger eastern individuals. Mr. -Henshaw makes the male 
and female average even larger than Mr. Ridgway. 
