THE SHORE-LARK. 6i 



and throughout the great plateau land of Tibet, 

 a large and strong-billed form, 0. longirostris, is 

 dominant ; but it is in North America that the 

 greatest diversity of race is shewn. In the latest 

 memoirs on these Larks, by Mr. Dwight, no less 

 than eleven races are recognised, each inhabiting 

 a separate and distinct area between the Arctic 

 Regions and Mexico, while one little species of 

 Horned Larks, 0. peregrina, is stranded in the 

 Unitfed States of Colombia, in South America. 



As the Shore- Lark is only seen with us in 

 winter, very little has been observed of its habits, 

 and we must fall back on the writings of those 

 who have observed it in its breeding-haunts. As 

 is the case with most of our rare visitors, we find 

 the best notes in the writings of Mr. Seebohm, 

 who made it a special feature of his work to visit 

 many countries, for the express purpose of 

 studying the habits of species, which are known 

 in Great Britain only as rare or winter visitants. 



In the north of Europe, and in Siberia, he met 

 with the Shore-Lark, and took the nest and eggs 

 in Lapland, on the Petchora River, and on the 

 Yenesei. In the former country the bird lays its 

 eggs from the middle of May to the middle of 



