The Horned Larks 
No. 162i Yuma Horned Lark 
A. O. U. No. 474k, part. Otocoris alpestris leucansiptila Oberholser. 
Synonym.— Bleached Horned Lark. 
Description. —Very similar to 0 . a. ammophila , but still paler, the vinaceous 
element lighter by reason of increased hoariness of edgings; the dark element no longer 
dusky, but grayish brown, and still further reduced by lighter edgings and pinkish 
diffusion; yellow of throat unmodified, but forehead and superciliary averaging whiter 
than in actia. Slightly larger than 0 . a. actia. 
Range of 0 . a. leucansiptila .—“Extreme southwestern Arizona, extreme south¬ 
eastern corner of California, and northeastern Lower California along the international 
boundary line, north to southern Nevada” (Oberholser). 
Distribution in California. —Resident locally on Colorado Desert west to 
Mecca and in Imperial Valley. 
Authorities.—Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. xxiv., 1902, p. 864 
(monogr.; orig. desc.; type locality, Yuma, Ariz.; spec, from Coyote Well, San Diego, 
Calif.); Grifinell, Pac. Coast Avifauna, no. 11, 1915, p. 95 (distr. in Calif.). 
In the foregoing paragraphs we have taken account of certain obtrusive questions 
of variation and distribution which pertain to this very plastic species; but the case of 
the Horned Lark is such a complicated one, that we cannot hope to follow all its intric¬ 
acies. The characters which interest us, those of behavior and general economy, are 
common to all the “forms.” On the other hand, general statements regarding seasonal 
movements, dates of breeding, and the like, are as much out of place within the limits 
of a single form, as for the species itself. The fact is that the Horned Lark is so plastic 
and so perfectly adjusted to its environment that its actions everywhere reflect local 
conditions. For example, 0 . a. rubea does not appear to nest in the cooler, semi- 
transitional coast belt of Santa Barbara before May; while in eastern San Luis Obispo 
County the same subspecies nests in early April; and in the neighborhood of Pasadena 
it lays eggs as early as February. In like manner, dwellers in the cooler coastal belt stay 
at home in summer; while those living in the heated interior flee to the higher ranges. 
These differences in custom may theoretically reflect themselves in exterior characters; 
but the search for such marks has already pressed the limits of sanity. 
EREMOPHILA, desert-loving, is a name once used for the Horned 
Lark, but now denied us by the jugglery of nomenclature. No fitter 
title could have been chosen, for the modest bird has an unconquerable 
affection for the open places; and (save for his modesty) no fitter bird 
could be found to symbolize the joy of the Californian in his sun-kissed, 
clean-aired State. The Horned Lark, never too common, is, nevertheless, 
to be found almost everywhere, if timber, or chaparral, or outrageous 
“crops” have not fenced him out. He even ventures at times over the 
Sierran snows. 
But modesty becomes a bird whose home is on the ground; and he 
hugs its tiny shelters when disturbed, as though quite assured that its 
brownness matched the tint of his back. If attentively pursued, he 
patters away half trustfully; or if he takes to wing, he does so with a 
deprecating cry of apology, as if the fault were his instead of yours. If 
