﻿THE 
  HORNED 
  LARKS 
  AND 
  THEIR 
  RELATION 
  

   TO 
  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  DISTRIBUTION 
  AND 
  HABITS. 
  

  

  The 
  horned 
  larks 
  are 
  small 
  but 
  hardy 
  birds 
  which 
  frequent 
  the 
  open 
  

   countr} 
  T 
  and 
  never 
  live 
  in 
  forests. 
  They 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  

   of 
  situations, 
  and 
  feed 
  along 
  roads, 
  in 
  weedy 
  or 
  freshly 
  plowed 
  fields, 
  

   on 
  commons 
  or 
  other 
  waste 
  places, 
  and 
  in 
  closeh 
  7 
  grazed 
  pastures, 
  

   meadows, 
  and 
  stubble 
  fields. 
  The 
  beaches 
  and 
  salt 
  marshes 
  of 
  the 
  

   coasts, 
  the 
  lake 
  shores, 
  muddy 
  flats, 
  and 
  swamps 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  are 
  

   thronged 
  with 
  them 
  in 
  fall 
  and 
  winter. 
  In 
  the 
  far 
  West 
  they 
  live 
  in 
  

   hot 
  desert 
  valleys, 
  on 
  arid 
  table-lands, 
  on 
  level 
  grassy 
  prairies, 
  in 
  

   the 
  foothills, 
  and 
  even 
  on 
  bare 
  mountain 
  peaks. 
  

  

  They 
  are 
  readily 
  distinguished 
  from 
  other 
  small 
  ground-loving 
  birds. 
  

   They 
  are 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  bluebird, 
  their 
  throats 
  are 
  white 
  or 
  

   yellow, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  black 
  mark 
  across 
  the 
  breast, 
  and 
  just 
  

   above 
  and 
  behind 
  the 
  eyes 
  are 
  small 
  pointed 
  tufts 
  of 
  dark-colored 
  

   feathers 
  which 
  are 
  often 
  erected. 
  These 
  black 
  tufts 
  or 
  horns 
  are 
  

   perhaps 
  the 
  bird's 
  most 
  characteristic 
  feature, 
  and 
  give 
  origin 
  to 
  the 
  

   common 
  name 
  'horned 
  lark,' 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  over 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States. 
  ' 
  Shore 
  lark 
  ' 
  is 
  another 
  common 
  name, 
  though 
  a 
  less 
  

   apt 
  one. 
  The 
  various 
  subspecies 
  are 
  distinguished 
  by 
  names 
  which 
  

   conve} 
  7 
  an 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  surroundings 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  or 
  of 
  its 
  appearance 
  — 
  

   prairie, 
  desert, 
  scorched, 
  and 
  pallid 
  horned 
  lark 
  being 
  examples 
  of 
  

   these 
  designations. 
  West 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  several 
  names 
  indicative 
  

   of 
  the 
  bird's 
  habits 
  are 
  used, 
  among 
  them 
  being 
  'prairie 
  bird', 
  'road 
  

   trotter,' 
  and 
  'wheat 
  bird. 
  1 
  In 
  parts 
  of 
  Canada 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  'spring' 
  

   or 
  'life 
  bird,' 
  in 
  allusion, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  to 
  its 
  reappearance 
  in 
  the 
  vernal 
  

   season. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  popular 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  emphasize 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  they 
  are 
  preeminently 
  terrestrial 
  birds. 
  During 
  the 
  day 
  they 
  run 
  

   nimbly 
  over 
  the 
  surface 
  in 
  quest 
  of 
  food; 
  at 
  night 
  they 
  roost 
  in 
  small 
  

   companies 
  on 
  the 
  bare 
  earth. 
  A 
  clod 
  or 
  stone 
  is 
  a 
  favorite 
  perch, 
  and 
  

   they 
  are 
  rarely 
  seen 
  in 
  a 
  bush 
  or 
  tree. 
  

  

  They 
  nest 
  early, 
  the 
  first 
  clutch 
  of 
  eggs 
  often 
  being 
  completed 
  before 
  

   the 
  snow 
  has 
  disappeared. 
  The 
  nests 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  simplest 
  description, 
  

  

  7 
  

  

  