﻿LETTER 
  OF 
  TRANSMITTAL 
  

  

  U. 
  S. 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  

  

  Biological 
  Survey. 
  

   Washington, 
  D. 
  C, 
  September 
  i, 
  1905. 
  

   Sir: 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  transmit 
  herewith 
  for 
  publication 
  as 
  Bul- 
  

   letin 
  No. 
  23 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey 
  a 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  Horned 
  Larks 
  

   and 
  their 
  Relation 
  to 
  Agriculture, 
  by 
  W. 
  L. 
  McAtee, 
  an 
  assistant 
  in 
  

   the 
  Biological 
  Survey. 
  The 
  horned 
  larks, 
  though 
  of 
  small 
  size, 
  form 
  

   an 
  important 
  group 
  economically 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  very 
  general 
  distri- 
  

   bution, 
  their 
  great 
  numbers, 
  and 
  their 
  food 
  habits. 
  As 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  

   the 
  present 
  investigation 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  though 
  these 
  birds 
  feed 
  to 
  

   some 
  extent 
  upon 
  grain 
  , 
  the 
  actual 
  damage 
  done 
  is 
  slight, 
  because 
  the 
  

   grain 
  eaten 
  is 
  mostly 
  waste. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  shown 
  to 
  

   feed 
  very 
  largely 
  upon 
  insects 
  and 
  weed 
  seeds, 
  among 
  which 
  are 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  worst 
  pests 
  that 
  the 
  farmer 
  has 
  to 
  contend 
  with. 
  The 
  horned 
  

   larks, 
  therefore, 
  should 
  be 
  classed 
  among 
  the 
  species 
  highly 
  beneficial 
  

   to 
  agriculture. 
  

  

  Respectfully, 
  C. 
  Hart 
  Merriam, 
  

  

  Chief, 
  Biological 
  Survey. 
  

   Hon. 
  James 
  Wilson, 
  

  

  Secretary 
  of 
  Agriculture. 
  

  

  