540 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. IX. 



An abundant migrant in Illinois and a rather common summer 

 resident in the northern part of the state. It is a common summer 

 resident in Wisconsin, usually arriving early in May and leaving for 

 the south in September. 



It breeds in May or early in June. The nest is cup shaped, placed 

 in the fork of a branch in bushes or low trees. The eggs are usually 

 four, dull white, unmarked but sometimes showing a faint tinge of 

 buff. They measure about .62 x .50 inches. 



Suborder OSCINES. Song Birds. 



Family ALAUDID.E. Larks. 



The Larks form a comparatively small family of terrestrial birds 

 frequenting the open plains and fields. They are gregarious except 

 during the nesting season and have a pleasing song, although some 

 species are much more gifted vocalists than others. The famous 

 European Skylark belongs to this family. 



Genus OTOCORIS Bonap. 

 216. Otocoris alpestris (Linn.). 

 Horned Lark. Shore Lark. 



Distr. : Northeastern North America, Greenland, and northern 

 Europe, south in North America to Missouri and the Carolinas in 

 winter. 



Adult male: Forehead, throat, and line over the eye, yellow; 

 front of crown, a stripe from bill below the eye and a shield-shaped 

 patch on the breast, black; a small tuft of elongated feathers on 



each side of the head (hence the name, 



*" "' "~~ ' Horned Lark); back of crown, nape and 



rump, dull vinaceous; back, dull vinaceous, 

 mixed with gray and more or less streaked 

 with dark brown; lesser wing coverts, deep 

 vinaceous or pinkish brown, forming a 

 "shoulder" patch of that color; tail feathers, 

 except the middle pair, black, the outer 

 feather edged with whitish; outer primaries, 

 fuscous brown, the outer web of the first 

 primary, whitish. 



