THE LARK SPARROW. 



( Chondestes grammacus. ) 



The humble Lark Sparrow or Lark- 

 Finch cares little for the cultivated door 

 yards of man. Unlike the chipping spar- 

 row, which delights in human compan- 

 ionship, this handsome bird seeks the 

 quiet of the prairie, the stubblefield and 

 old pastures which are somewhat wooded. 

 It may also be seen along country road- 

 sides, "where it delights in frequent dust 

 baths. Small trees and shrubs are a nec- 

 essary feature of its environment, from 

 the tops of which it shows its happy na- 

 ture by uttering the notes of a continu- 

 ous and melodious song. Truly the name 

 Lark is not a misnomer for this attractive 

 bird, for its song is not only wonderfully 

 pleasing, but it also, like the larks, has 

 the habit of singing while on the wing. 

 "Words are inadequate to describe the 

 tenderness and sweetness of the Lark- 

 Sparrow's beautiful song. It is "one 

 continuous gush of silvery notes, accom- 

 panied by a metallic tremolo." The de- 

 scription of Dr. Robert Ridgeway is the 

 most satisfactory. "As the bird perches 

 upon the summit of a small tree, a fence 

 post or a telegraph wire, his notes may 

 be heard throughout the day — in the 

 morning before those of any other, and 

 late in the evening, when all else but this 

 unweary songster is silent ; indeed, often 

 have we been awakened at midnight by 

 a sudden outburst of silvery warblings 

 from one of this species. This song is 

 composed of a series of chants, each syl- 

 lable rich, loud and clear, interspersed 

 with emotional trills. Though seemingly 

 hurried, it is one continued gush of 

 sprightly music ; now gay, now melodi- 

 ous, and then tender beyond description 

 — the very expression of emotion. At in- 

 tervals the singer falters, as if exhausted 

 by exertion, and his voice becomes 

 scarcely audible : but, suddenlv reviving 

 in his joy. it is resumed in all its vigor 

 until he appears to be reallv overcome bv 

 the effort." 



Many persons may become acquainted 

 with this interesting bird, for it has an 



extensive range, covering the interior of 

 the united States, and it nests from 

 Texas to Manitoba. A variety which 

 has the habits of its eastern relative is 

 found throughout the Lnited States west 

 of the plains. 



The Lark-Sparrow, or, more properly. 

 Lark Bunting, as it is neither a true spar- 

 row nor a finch, bears several common 

 names, each having reference to some 

 particular habit. It is given the name 

 Road-bird because it frequently seeks 

 food in roadways and because of the 

 pleasure it finds in frequent dust-baths 

 on sunny days. It is called Quail-head, 

 for it has the habit of running through 

 the grass with lowered head in a manner 

 similar to that of the quail. In some lo- 

 calities it has been called the Potato-bird 

 because of its apparent fondness for the 

 potato beetle. And the striped plumage 

 of its head has caused it to be called by 

 the unpleasant name Snake-bird. 



Its home is usually placed on the 

 ground at the base of a tuft of grass, a 

 coarse weed or in cultivated fields at the 

 base of stalks of corn. It may also build 

 in low trees or bushes. The material of 

 which the nest is constructed varies, usu- 

 ally consisting of the finer plant growths 

 of the immediate vicinity. As a rule, a 

 Lark-Sparrow's nest is hard to locate be- 

 cause of the bird's habit of taking flight 

 only after skulking through the sur- 

 rounding vegetation to a point some dis- 

 tance from the nest. 



Of the economic value of the Lark- 

 Sparrow Dr. Sylvester Judd says : "The 

 Lark-Sparrow is, with the exception of 

 the dickcissel and grasshopper sparrow, 

 the most valuable grasshopper destroyer 

 of all the native sparrows. More than 

 half of its animal food (fourteen per cent 

 of the total) consists of these insects, and 

 in June they constitute 43 per cent of the 

 diet. On the prairies and plains this bird 

 does much good in helping to check in- 

 vasions of the Rocky Mountain locust." 



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