384 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 



the labels. This is simply another proof of the difficulty and danger 

 of attempting to identify specimens of Otocoris from new localities! 

 As I remember, Mr. Norton's female was rather small and unusually 

 grayish; but your good series leaves no room for doubt." 



Of the Bowdoin college specimen he writes (February 4, 1907): 

 "It is certainly only a specimen of alpestris, probably somewhat 

 aberrant." 



In this connection we wish to speak of the recent extension of the 

 breeding range of praticola to the east. This was a subject about 

 which one of us wrote in "The birds of Essex County" (Townsend 



1905, p. 235) and the Auk (vol. 21, 1904, p. 81). In the Auk (vol. 23, 



1906, p. 225) Mr. Norton controverted this view basing his argument 

 primarily on what he believed to be evidence of the existence of this 

 form even in Audubon's time on the southern Labrador coast as well 

 as its occurrence there today. As we have just shown, Mr. Norton 

 was in error as regards this. He also refers to Maynard's record for 

 eastern Massachusetts in July, 1869. A single case is of course of 

 trifling value and when we consider that the numerous ornithologists 

 in the well studied part of eastern Massachusetts have only within 

 recent years found this bird breeding, it seems probable that some 

 recent change in its range has occurred. The evidence in New Hamp- 

 shire and Vermont is also strongly suggestive. 



We observed the flight song of the Horned Lark at various places 

 along the coast, and made an especial study of it at Great Caribou 

 Island, Battle Harbor. The bird suddenly mounts high into the 

 air, going up silently in irregular circles, at times climbing nearly 

 vertically, to such a height that he appears but a little speck in the 

 sky, several hundred feet up. Arrived at this eminence he spreads 

 his wings and soars, emitting meanwhile his song, such as it is — one 

 or two preliminary notes and then a series of squeaks and high notes 

 with a bit of a fine trill. The whole has a jingling metallic sound ■ 

 like distant sleigh bells, although the squeaks remind one strongly of 

 an old gate. The whole effect, however, is not unpleasant, — even 

 melodious. Having finished one bar of his song, he flaps his wings 

 a few times, closes them and sails again, repeating the song. One 

 bird repeated his song twenty-four times and remained in the air one 

 and a half minutes; another remained in the air three minutes, during 

 which he repeated his song thirty-two times. During all this time 

 the bird is flying in curves or irregular circles, sometimes in straight 



