THE HORNED LARK. 



( Oto coris alpes tris . ) 



It is quite disappoining that the 

 beautiful Horned Lark, or Shore Lark 

 as it is frequently called, should only 

 be known in the United States during 

 the winter season, when it is songless 

 and its time is spent only in the practi- 

 cal work of obtaining food. On the 

 western continent it breeds only in 

 northeastern British America as far 

 west as Hudson Bay, and southward 

 through Newfoundland and Labrador. 

 It also breeds in Greenland and North- 

 ern Europe. Its fall journeys extend 

 its range as far westward as Manitoba 

 and southward into the United States 

 as far as Illinois, Ohio and on the 

 Atlantic coast to North Carolina. The 

 Horned Larks come to their winter 

 home in flocks varying from a dozen 

 or so to a very large number. Upon 

 the Atlantic coast they appear in Oc- 

 tober or November but the larger 

 flocks soon break up into smaller 

 groups, each of which settles in some 

 locality where there seems to be a 

 sufficient food supply. There they 

 usually remain until they have exhaust- 

 ed the supply of food and are obliged 

 to seek a new field. They feed in 

 large numbers upon the flats left bare 

 by the retreating tide. In the interior 

 of the country they frequent large, 

 flat and open tracts and are seldom 

 seen in wooded localities. 



The Horned Larks are in reality al- 

 ways terrestrial, seldom aspiring to a 

 perch higher than the top of an ordi- 

 nary fence. They walk and run with 

 perfect ease upon the ground or upon 

 the snow. When disturbed they do 

 not fly, as a rule, except when forced 

 to do So in order to escape and then 

 they fly high and utter a sharp whis- 

 tled note. 



In their summer home, the Horned 

 Larks are said to sing a charming song 

 which is uttered while the bird soars. 



Mr. Audubon says: ''The male soars 

 into the air, sings with cheerfulness 

 over the resort of his mate, and roosts 

 beside her and his nest on the ground, 

 having at this season a very remark- 

 able appearance in the development of 

 the black and horn-like egrets." Mr. 

 Langille gives an interesting account 

 of the male's song habits. "Hearing 

 its song, now quite familiar to me, I 

 strolled warily through the open field, 

 hoping to find its nest. But whence 

 came the song? It was as puzzling as 

 the voice of a ventriloquist. Now it 

 seemed on the right, and now on the 

 left, and now in some other direction. 

 Presently I caught the way of the 

 sound, and lo ! its author was soaring 

 high in the air, moving in short curves 

 up, . up, singing for a few moments as 

 it sailed with expanded wings before 

 each flitting curve upward, till it be- 

 came a mere speck in the zenith, and 

 finally I could scarcely tell whether I 

 saw it or not. But I still heard the 

 song, one that never can be mistaken, 

 so unlike is it to that of any other 

 bird." Finally the bird started to de- 

 scend and Mr. Langille says: "Down, 

 down it comes, meteor-like, with wings 

 almost closed, until one fears it will 

 dash out its life on the earth. But 

 no, it alights in safety, and steps along 

 with all its wonted stateliness." 



The nests of the Horned Larks are 

 built in a depression in the surface of 

 the ground which is copiously lined 

 with fine grasses, moss and feathers. 

 Sometimes the nesting is begun while 

 the snow is still upon the ground near 

 the chosen nesting site. Instances 

 have also been reported in which after 

 the eggs had been laid, snow had fallen 

 to such an extent that the faithful 

 sitting bird was nearly or quite cov- 

 ered. 



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