﻿10 
  HOENED 
  LARKS 
  IN 
  RELATION 
  TO 
  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  monthly 
  average, 
  arid 
  it 
  is 
  consumed 
  by 
  the 
  adults 
  alone. 
  This 
  result 
  

   is 
  in 
  harmony 
  with 
  the 
  observed 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  taxes 
  

   the 
  strength 
  of 
  birds, 
  and 
  hence 
  an 
  easily 
  assimilated, 
  highly 
  nutri- 
  

   tious 
  food 
  is 
  required. 
  

  

  In 
  May 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  further 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  animal 
  food 
  

   eaten, 
  the 
  maximum 
  (43.4 
  percent) 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  being 
  reached. 
  The 
  

   percentage 
  is 
  higher 
  in 
  this 
  month 
  because 
  there 
  are 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  

   computations 
  several 
  nestlings, 
  which 
  were 
  fed 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  

   upon 
  insects. 
  However, 
  the 
  adults 
  also 
  consume 
  more 
  animal 
  food 
  

   at 
  this 
  time, 
  and 
  the 
  adolescent 
  birds, 
  while 
  the}^ 
  do 
  not 
  eat 
  as 
  large 
  

   an 
  amount 
  as 
  their 
  parents, 
  have 
  not 
  developed 
  the 
  strong 
  vegetarian 
  

   taste 
  which 
  characterizes 
  them 
  later. 
  The 
  principal 
  elements 
  of 
  the 
  

   animal 
  food 
  in 
  May 
  are 
  weevils, 
  May 
  beetles 
  (insects 
  more 
  commonly 
  

   known 
  as 
  June 
  bugs), 
  caterpillars, 
  and 
  grasshoppers. 
  In 
  June 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  insects 
  eaten 
  becomes 
  smaller. 
  The 
  former 
  nestlings, 
  now 
  

   independent 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  birds, 
  are 
  largely 
  vegetarian, 
  and 
  counteract 
  

   the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  adults, 
  which 
  are 
  even 
  more 
  insectivorous 
  in 
  

   this 
  month 
  than 
  in 
  May. 
  More 
  weevils, 
  leaf 
  beetles, 
  and 
  ants 
  are 
  

   eaten 
  in 
  June 
  than 
  in 
  May, 
  but 
  fewer 
  Ma 
  3^ 
  beetles, 
  caterpillars, 
  and 
  

   grasshoppers. 
  

  

  From 
  Ma}^ 
  to 
  August 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  animal 
  food 
  would 
  proba- 
  

   bly 
  be 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  each 
  month 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  the 
  peculiar 
  diet 
  

   of 
  the 
  young 
  birds. 
  The 
  consumption 
  of 
  the 
  maximum 
  number 
  of 
  

   insects 
  in 
  May 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  nestlings 
  and 
  

   adolescent 
  larks. 
  The 
  former, 
  being 
  highly 
  insectivorous, 
  raise 
  the 
  

   percentage 
  in 
  May, 
  while 
  the 
  adolescent 
  birds, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  oppo- 
  

   site 
  trait, 
  tend 
  to 
  lower 
  the 
  percentage 
  in 
  June, 
  July, 
  and 
  August. 
  

   When 
  the 
  diet 
  of 
  the 
  adults 
  alone 
  is 
  considered, 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  

   animal 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  increases, 
  and 
  the 
  maxi- 
  

   mum 
  comes, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  other 
  species, 
  in 
  August. 
  

   (See 
  fig. 
  2.) 
  Two 
  factors 
  tend 
  to 
  raise 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  animal 
  food 
  

   in 
  this 
  month 
  — 
  first, 
  the 
  molt, 
  which 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  

   create 
  a 
  ravenous 
  appetite 
  for 
  such 
  food, 
  and, 
  second, 
  the 
  great 
  abun- 
  

   dance 
  of 
  insects, 
  particularly 
  grasshoppers, 
  these 
  in 
  August 
  forming 
  

   the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  food 
  of 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  birds. 
  Although 
  

   horned 
  larks 
  eat 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  grasshoppers, 
  they 
  con- 
  

   sume 
  a 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  than 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  insects. 
  These 
  

   small, 
  inconspicuously 
  colored 
  insects, 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  actual 
  or 
  

   incipient 
  pests 
  of 
  the 
  worst 
  kind, 
  constitute 
  nearly 
  18 
  percent 
  of 
  

   the 
  food 
  in 
  August. 
  After 
  this 
  month 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  animal 
  food 
  

   decreases 
  rapidly. 
  Caterpillars, 
  grasshoppers, 
  beetle 
  larvae, 
  scara- 
  

   bseid 
  and 
  carabid 
  beetles 
  are 
  soon 
  entirely 
  lacking. 
  The 
  lowest 
  point 
  

   in 
  the 
  entire 
  year 
  for 
  the 
  consumption 
  of 
  animal 
  food 
  is 
  reached 
  in 
  

   December, 
  when 
  only 
  1 
  percent 
  is 
  obtained. 
  During 
  the 
  winter 
  

  

  