396 LAND BIRDS 



leaving the partridge to rear the brood. Inasmuch as the 

 Towhee eggs hatch in two weeks, the young being very 

 dark colored and naked, while the partridge eggs require 

 three weeks and the young are lively little balls of down 

 able to run about as soon as dry, the sacrifice of the 

 Towhee's brood is inevitable whenever the two are 

 deposited in the same nest. 



Mr. Anthony records finding an egg of this Towhee in 

 the nest of a rusty song sparrow. 



605. LARK BUNTING. — Calamospiza melanocorys. 

 Family : The Finches, Sparrows, etc. 



Length: 6.12-7.50. 



Adult Male in Summer : Entire plumage black or slaty, except for white 

 patch on wings, and sometimes white marks on tail-feathers. Winter 

 adult similar to summer female, except chin, wings, and tail black. 



Adult Female : Upper parts brownish gray streaked with dusky ; 

 white wing-patch smaller and tinged with buflfy ; tail, except mid- 

 dle feathers, spotted with white ; under parts white, streaked on 

 breast and sides. 



Young: Similar to adult female, but more buffy ; feathers of upper 

 parts bordered with buffy white ; streaks on lower parts narrower. 



Geographical Distribution : Plains of Dakota and Kansas, west to 

 Rocky Mouutains, north to United States boundary, south in winter 

 to Lower California and New Mexico ; occasional west of Kocky 

 Mountains. Irregular in Southern California. 



California Breeding Range : In San Diegan district. (Very rare.) 



Breeding Season : April and May. 



Nest ; Of grass and fine rootlets ; lined with finer grasses and vegetable 

 down ; sunk in the ground, or placed under a tuft of grass or weeds. 



Eggs: 4 or 5 ; plain pale blue. Size 0.85 X 0.65. 



The Lark Bunting, in form, size, and general habits of 

 song and nesting, resembles the bobolink of the Eastern 

 United States in such a way as to be frequently mistaken 

 for that bird by careless observers. The dark plumage 



