﻿GENERAL 
  FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  

  

  upon 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  59 
  stomachs. 
  A 
  much 
  larger 
  amount 
  of 
  

   material 
  is 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  paper, 
  no 
  fewer 
  than 
  1,154 
  

   stomachs 
  having 
  been 
  examined. 
  The 
  present 
  material 
  represents 
  also 
  

   a 
  much 
  greater 
  area, 
  coming 
  from 
  no 
  fewer 
  than 
  twenty 
  -five 
  States 
  

   and 
  Territories, 
  and 
  in 
  addition 
  the 
  District 
  of 
  Columbia, 
  Ontario, 
  

   Saskatchewan, 
  and 
  Mackenzie. 
  Among 
  the 
  specimens 
  collected 
  are 
  

   nestling, 
  adolescent, 
  and 
  adult 
  birds, 
  including 
  representatives 
  of 
  

   eleven 
  subspecies. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  forms 
  are 
  very 
  similar 
  with 
  the 
  excep- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  and 
  southern 
  California 
  bird 
  ( 
  Otocoris 
  alpestris 
  

   actia 
  Oberh.), 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  anomalous 
  in 
  its 
  feeding 
  habits 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  

   been 
  deemed 
  advisable 
  to 
  treat 
  it 
  also 
  separately. 
  

  

  Professor 
  Barrows 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  examined 
  by 
  him 
  

   had 
  consumed 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  11.42 
  percent 
  of 
  animal 
  matter 
  and 
  

   88.58 
  percent 
  of 
  vegetable 
  

   matter. 
  The 
  present 
  in- 
  

   vestigation 
  results 
  in 
  a 
  

   somewhat 
  different 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  for 
  the 
  birds, 
  there 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  food 
  more 
  insects 
  

   and 
  less 
  vegetable 
  ele- 
  

   ments, 
  or 
  20.6 
  percent 
  of 
  

   animal 
  and 
  79.4 
  percent 
  of 
  

   vegetable 
  matter. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  accompanying 
  

   chart 
  (fig. 
  1) 
  the 
  propor- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  components 
  of 
  

   the 
  food 
  for 
  each 
  month 
  

   may 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  a 
  glance. 
  

   Very 
  little 
  animal 
  matter 
  

   is 
  obtained 
  during 
  the 
  win- 
  

   ter 
  months. 
  The 
  few 
  in- 
  

   sects 
  alive 
  at 
  this 
  season 
  

   are 
  usually 
  well 
  concealed 
  

   and 
  the 
  wonder 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  obtain 
  any 
  of 
  them. 
  In 
  January, 
  

   animal 
  matter, 
  consisting 
  principally 
  of 
  weevils 
  and 
  cocoons 
  of 
  tineid 
  

   moths, 
  composes 
  only 
  1.73 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  food. 
  In 
  February 
  about 
  

   the 
  same 
  things 
  are 
  eaten, 
  but 
  in 
  larger 
  amount, 
  making 
  3.11 
  per- 
  

   cent. 
  The 
  percentage 
  rises 
  rapidly 
  in 
  March 
  and 
  April, 
  principally- 
  

   because 
  of 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  weevils, 
  caterpillars, 
  and 
  bugs 
  

   eaten, 
  although 
  beetle 
  larvae 
  and 
  leaf 
  beetles 
  also 
  are 
  consumed 
  in 
  

   larger 
  amount. 
  In 
  these 
  months 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  obtain 
  respectively 
  

   15.72 
  percent 
  and 
  27.31 
  percent 
  of 
  animal 
  matter. 
  April 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  

   month 
  when 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  animal 
  matter 
  eaten 
  is 
  in 
  excess 
  of 
  the 
  

   7376^rNo.' 
  23^05—2 
  

  

  UAAI. 
  

  

  F£B 
  

  

  AlAff 
  

  

  APR 
  

  

  MAY 
  

  

  JUNE 
  

  

  JULY 
  

  

  AUG. 
  

  

  SEPT 
  

  

  OCT 
  

  

  NOV. 
  

  

  DEC. 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  A, 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  / 
  

  

  / 
  s 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  / 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  Y 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  "v 
  

  

  \ 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Fig. 
  1.— 
  Diagram 
  showing 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  animal 
  and 
  

   vegetable 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   exclusive 
  of 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  subspecies 
  Otocoris 
  a. 
  actia, 
  

   for 
  every 
  month 
  in 
  the 
  year. 
  [Read 
  the 
  column 
  of 
  figures 
  

   on 
  the 
  left 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  upward 
  for 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  

   animal 
  food, 
  and 
  the 
  column 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  

   downward 
  for 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  vegetable 
  food. 
  The 
  area 
  

   below 
  the 
  curve 
  represents 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  animal 
  

   food 
  for 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  that 
  above, 
  the 
  vegetable 
  food.] 
  

  

  