HORNED LARK. 



shore lark. 

 Otocoris alpestris. 



Char. Above, dull grayish brown streaked with darker; nape, shoul- 

 ders, and ramp pink-vinaceous cinnamon; black bar across forehead and 

 along sides of head, terminating in erectile horn-like tufts; throat and 

 line over the eyes, yellow ; black bar from nostril curving below the eyes; 

 below, dull white, shaded on the sides with same color as back ; breast 

 tinged with yellow and bearing large black patch ; middle tail-feathers 

 like back, the rest black, with white patches on outer pair. Length about 

 •jYi inches. 



Nest. On the ground, amid a bed of moss ; composed of grass, lined 

 with feathers. 



Eggs. 4-5 ; dull white with buff or purple tint spotted with purplish 

 brown or olive brown and lilac ; 0.93 X 0.70. 



This beautiful species is common to the north of both the old 

 and new continent ; but, as in some other instances already re- 

 marked, the Shore Lark extends its migrations much farther over 

 America than over Europe and Asia. Our bird has been met 

 with in the Arctic regions by the numerous voyagers, and Mr. 

 Bullock saw it in the winter around the city of Mexico, so that 

 in their migrations over this continent these birds spread them- 

 selves across the whole habitable northern hemisphere to the 

 very equator ; while in Europe, according to the careful obser- 



