﻿MARKETING 
  OF 
  HORNED 
  LARKS. 
  

  

  11 
  

  

  months, 
  when 
  little 
  animal 
  matter 
  is 
  eaten 
  and 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  vegeta- 
  

   ble 
  food 
  is 
  at 
  its 
  maximum, 
  considerable 
  grain 
  is 
  consumed, 
  but 
  about 
  

   three-fourths 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  are 
  weed 
  seed. 
  

  

  Few 
  examinations 
  of 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  horned 
  larks 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  

   except 
  in 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey, 
  most 
  ornithologists 
  contenting 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  with 
  casual 
  field 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  food 
  habits. 
  Examination 
  

   of 
  all 
  accessible 
  accounts 
  reveals 
  but 
  few 
  items 
  of 
  food 
  not 
  met 
  with 
  

   in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  investigation, 
  these 
  being 
  such 
  unimpor- 
  

   tant 
  substances 
  as 
  minute 
  crustaceans, 
  cactus 
  seeds, 
  and 
  plant 
  buds, 
  

   none 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  commonly 
  eaten. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  lark 
  — 
  Otocoris 
  alpestris 
  flava 
  (Gme 
  

   lin) 
  — 
  of 
  Europe, 
  judging 
  from 
  published 
  accounts, 
  are 
  essentially 
  like 
  

   those 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  forms, 
  to 
  

   which 
  it 
  is 
  closely 
  related. 
  

   In 
  German} 
  7 
  another 
  .spe- 
  

   cies, 
  the 
  skylark, 
  in 
  recog- 
  

   nition 
  of 
  its 
  value 
  as 
  an 
  

   insect 
  destroyer, 
  is 
  pro- 
  

   tected 
  by 
  law 
  from 
  May 
  to 
  

   September 
  15; 
  rt 
  but 
  at 
  other 
  

   seasons 
  it 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  nets 
  in 
  

   large 
  numbers 
  for 
  food. 
  

  

  In 
  former 
  times 
  larks 
  were 
  

   much 
  used 
  for 
  food 
  also 
  in 
  

   the 
  United 
  States. 
  They 
  

   occur 
  in 
  flocks 
  in 
  winter, 
  are 
  

   easily 
  trapped, 
  and 
  years 
  

   ago 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  

   our 
  large 
  cities 
  were 
  abundantly 
  supplied 
  with 
  them. 
  This 
  traffic 
  has 
  

   not 
  entirely 
  ceased 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  In 
  1891 
  b 
  W. 
  E. 
  Bryant 
  wrote 
  

   concerning 
  the 
  marketing 
  of 
  horned 
  larks: 
  

  

  For 
  an 
  indefinite 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  exposed 
  for 
  sale 
  in 
  the 
  markets 
  

   of 
  San 
  Francisco 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  small 
  Californian 
  birds, 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  the 
  so-called 
  'reed 
  

   birds.' 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  A 
  San 
  Francisco 
  'reed 
  bird' 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  generally 
  speaking 
  is 
  a 
  

   horned 
  lark 
  (Otocoris) 
  , 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  market 
  men 
  and 
  pot 
  hunters 
  who 
  furnish 
  them 
  

   as 
  'bean 
  birds.' 
  Fifteen 
  years 
  or 
  more 
  ago 
  this 
  bird 
  was 
  almost 
  the 
  only 
  species 
  

   killed 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  but 
  the 
  long-continued, 
  persistent 
  slaying 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  

   together 
  with 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  settlement, 
  making 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  journey 
  farther 
  after 
  

   them, 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  substitution 
  of 
  most 
  any 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  

   size 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  them. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  The 
  annual 
  destruction 
  must 
  amount 
  to 
  many 
  

   thousands. 
  

  

  However, 
  of 
  recent 
  years 
  the 
  economic 
  value 
  of 
  horned 
  larks 
  has 
  

   become 
  better 
  understood, 
  and 
  at 
  present 
  they 
  are 
  protected 
  through- 
  

  

  a 
  Hermann 
  Fiirst, 
  Deutschland's 
  nlitzliche 
  und 
  schadliche 
  Vogel, 
  p. 
  63, 
  1893. 
  

   b 
  Zoe, 
  II, 
  pp. 
  142-144, 
  1891. 
  

  

  

  JAN 
  

  

  FEB 
  

  

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  APR 
  

  

  MAY 
  

  

  JUNE 
  

  

  UIJLY 
  

  

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  SEPT 
  

  

  OCT. 
  

  

  A/0/ 
  

  

  DEC 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

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  Fig. 
  2. 
  — 
  Diagram 
  showing 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  animal 
  and 
  

   vegetable 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  horned 
  larks 
  for 
  every 
  month 
  

   in 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  