204 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



increase in the abundance of this species on the grasslands of New York 

 and also of the surrounding states, until at the present time it has invaded 

 not only the eastern part of New York, but Connecticut, Massachusetts 

 Vermont and other New England states. This species having originally- 

 been confined to the prairie region has now found conditions favorable 

 to its habitation in the eastern states and has gradually been spreading 

 year after year till now we must call it one of the common birds of the 

 open field. It is almost a permanent resident of New York for it is found, 

 in western New York at least, during every month of the year, although 

 it is decidedly uncommon in rnost localities from the middle of December 

 until the middle of January. We may safely say, however, that it is the 

 earliest species of passerine birds to migrate. From the 17th to the 23d 

 of January, provided there is fair weather, we are almost sure to see an 

 increase in the number of ' Prairie horned larks in the fields of western 

 New York, and their number gradually increases until the middle of 

 February when the mating song of the males is distinctly heard and nearly 

 all the birds are paired by the middle of March. They frequently begin 

 to breed, however, as early as the first of March for I have found the nest 

 containing eggs well started in incubation on the nth of March at 

 Rochester. Nests have also been reported from Erie county in February 

 and early March. It is thus the earliest of our small songbirds to nest 

 in western New York. The Prairie horned lark is a bird of decided per- 

 sonality. He is often seen running along the road in front of the carriage 

 or horseman; when approached too closely he erects the jet black tufts 

 of feathers like devils' horns on the sides of the head, and if more closely 

 pressed flies over the field at a moderate elevation with long gliding strokes 

 of his pointed wings and alights on some stone, clod of earth or possibly 

 on a fence post. If watched for some time the male will be seen gradually 

 to mount in the air higher and higher with continued hovering motion 

 of the wings, uttering his fine, threadlike whistle. He mounts higher and 

 higher, after the manner of the famous Skylark, sometimes reaching 

 a height of several hundred feet, all the while uttering his twittering song 



