366 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



-paratively few years ago this bird was unknown as breeding in 

 eastern Ontario. {Rev. C. J. Young.) On May 12th, 1882, at 

 camp, eight miles south of Brandon, midway between our tent 

 and the fire ten feet away, I started a small bird from its nest. It 

 ran away very reluctantly, and continued wistfully close at hand, 

 running about among the tufts of grass in the glare of the fire, 

 returning each time as soon as it dared. At gray dawn I found 

 her on the nest again; she slowly walked away when I approached 

 to rekindle the fire, but returned almost immediately with her 

 mate; and, now, for the first time, I saw them plainly. They 

 were a pair of shore larks. Encouraged, no doubt, by the presence 

 of her mate, she once more crept to her nest and took up her 

 position on the eggs, although I was but five feet off. Frying our 

 bacon over a brisk fire, I was very careful to avoid hurting the 

 birds or their home; and breakfast being over, travellers, tent, 

 fire and horses all went off and left them to discharge their duties 

 in peace. The nest contained three brown eggs ; it was sunken 

 in the ground, and was made of grass and fibre, and lined with 

 two or three large feathers. {Thompson-Seton.) Common resi- 

 dent from January to October ; usually rare in November and 

 December ; an exceedingly early breeder, eggs having been 

 taken in March, and on April 25th, 1900, a brood of young left 

 the nest able to fly. Raises two or probably three broods in a 

 season. {W.E.Saunders.) The bird nests on Toronto Island and 

 on Toronto Sandbar at Ashbridge Bay, seldom having eggs before 

 the middle of May, as the instances when shore larks nests have 

 been found here at the end of March and first week of April, 

 while snow was on the ground, have proved to be the eggs of 

 alpestris and not praticola. This variety of horned lark breeds 

 commonly in Manitoba. In northwestern Assiniboia and Alberta 

 it is replaced by the pallid horned lark. {W. Raine.) At Ottawa 

 this bird builds in a shallow hole in the ground. The nest is com- 

 posed of grass and lined with fine grass, horse-hair and feathers, 

 i'-ggs four or five. Grayish white, marked with spots of brownish 

 purple. {G. R. White.) 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Thirty-three ; twenty-two of these were taken at Ottawa by 

 Mr. F. A. Saunders ; three at Lome Park, Toronto, by Mr. E. 

 Thompson-Seton ; four others at Bracebridge, Ont., and one at 

 Indian Head, Assa., by Mr. Spreadborough. 



