HORNED LARK 



Top of head and back brown ; black patch under the eye 

 and on the breast ; throat yellowish- white ; under parts white ; 

 wings reddish-brown; tail black; horn-like tuft of feathers on 

 either side of the head. Length, seven and one-fourth inches. 



Nest, on the ground, loosely made of grass. Eggs, four, 

 .90 X .60 inches, grayish- white specked with greenish-brown. 



The Homed Larks are permanent residents in the North- 

 ern States east of the Rocky Mountains. J^s they prefer a cool 

 climate, many of them go far north in summer and return in 

 the fall; therefore, they are most abundant in our latitude in 

 winter. They are so hardy and cheerful that zero weather does 

 not check their song. 



They live in flocks of a dozen or more except in the nest- 

 ing season which is early spring. Before the frosts of winter 

 have passed, the nest is built upon the ground in an open field. 

 Frequently the mother-bird is covered with snow while she is 

 sitting, but she never forsakes her nest. The author found on 

 April 18th in the outskirts of Buffalo a nest which contained 

 four half-grown Larks. The incubation must have begun 

 in March. One week later the young birds flew away. 



These birds live upon the ground. They seldom alight in 

 trees. They sometimes mount a fence-post when they sing, 

 but oftener their song is delivered from the ground. If you 

 come upon them suddenly, they do not rise and fly, but run 

 before you. Whether they are running over the frozen fields 

 in winter or along the dusty highways in summer, they are very 

 interesting birds. 



Living in winter upon the seeds o| troublesome weeds 



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