GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 685 



Family 17. — Alaudid^, the Larks. 

 Eremoiihila cormita, Boie., (horued sky-lark.) 



No. 



Catalogue- 

 number. 



Sex. 



Date. 



Measure- 

 ments. 



Locality. 



39 



61753 



^ 



June 11, 1872 



7^' X 13 



Salt Lake. Utah. 



Hab. — Everywhere on the prairies and desert plains of Korth America 

 Atlantic States in winter. 



The horned lark is met with in greater abundance than any other bird 

 on our great western plains. They are very tame, often letting you pass 

 within six or eight feet of them without appearing disturbed, and then 

 they generally ran a little to one side instead of taking flight. 



Family 18. — Icterid^j the Orioles. 



(Sub-family Jcfemife, the Orioles 'proper.) 



Icterus {Hyphantes) hullockii, Cassin, (Bullock's oriole:) 



5fo. 



Catalogue- 

 number. 



Sex, 



Date. 



Measure- 

 ments. 



Number of 

 nest. 



Locality. 



7 



61713 



8 



61714 



10 



61715 



11 



61716 



17 



61717 



23 



61718 



51 



61719 



53 



61720 



58 



61721 



93 



61722 



94 



61723 



95 



61724 



127 



61782 



128 



61783 



130 



61784 



131 



61785 



5 

 9 



$ 

 $ 

 $ 

 $ 

 $ 

 2 

 $ 

 $ 

 $ 

 $ 

 $ 

 $ 

 <?? 



June 

 Juue 

 June 

 Juue 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 



5, 1872 

 5, 1872 

 6,-1872 

 6, 1872 



6, 1872 

 7, 1872 

 12, 1872 

 12, 1872 

 14, 1872 

 18, 1872 

 18, 1872 

 18, 1872 

 28, 1872 

 28, 1872 

 23, 1872 

 28, 1872 



8A^ X 12i 



n xi2ii- 



8i Xl2}f 

 l-h X llf 

 8 X 12^ 

 8i Xl2f 

 7| Xllf 

 8i Xl2f 

 8 X 12| 

 Xl2f 

 Xl2i 



2 (16261) 



3 (16262) 



12 (16263) 



13 (16264) 

 17 (16236) 

 19 (16267) 



29 (16268) 



30 (16269) 

 33 (16270) 

 48 (16278) 



8i 

 8t^ 



Ogden, Utah. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 

 Devil's Creek, Idaho. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



B.ah. — High central plains to the Pacific ; rare on Upper Missouri ; 

 south into Mexico. 



The western oriole, in my opinion at least, is the most beautiful of all 

 our western birds. They are very abundant in a large marsh between 

 Ogden and Weber Canon; there I collected sixteen of their nests, con- 

 taining over sixty eggs. They build a beautiful hanging nest, often ten 

 and a half inches deep, and composed of fibers of grass, flax, and the 

 inner bark of vines, and are generally lined with wool. The first lot 

 were deep and solid, were composed chiefly of the fibers of flax and dry 

 grass, and had a gTayish appearance, while the second lot — which were 

 built by the same birds after their first had been taken — were not very 

 deep, had evidently been made in haste, and were principally composed 

 of the inner bark of small bushes and vines, giving them a brownish 

 look. They generally conceal their nests among the leaves on the top 

 of a willow, from eight to ten feet above the ground, in such a position 

 that it rocks to and fro whenever there is a little wind. 



