﻿12 
  HORNED 
  LARKS 
  IN 
  RELATION 
  TO 
  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  out 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  all 
  but 
  five 
  of 
  the 
  States 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  regularly 
  occur, 
  

   and 
  in 
  no 
  State 
  are 
  they 
  specifically 
  exempted 
  from 
  protection. 
  In 
  

   consequence 
  comparatively 
  few 
  horned 
  larks 
  are 
  now 
  captured 
  for 
  food. 
  

  

  But 
  man 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  only 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  larks. 
  Because 
  of 
  the 
  open- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  they 
  inhabit, 
  they 
  are 
  always 
  in 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   danger 
  from 
  hawks 
  and 
  owls, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  

   known 
  to 
  kill 
  them: 
  Red- 
  tailed 
  hawk, 
  red-shouldered 
  hawk, 
  marsh 
  

   hawk, 
  prairie 
  falcon, 
  and 
  burrowing 
  and 
  screech 
  owls. 
  Shrikes 
  also 
  

   capture 
  them. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  fondness 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  for 
  open 
  country 
  thus 
  exposes 
  

   them 
  to 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  rapacious 
  birds, 
  in 
  farming 
  regions 
  it 
  leads 
  them 
  

   to 
  live 
  on 
  cultivated 
  land, 
  where 
  they 
  enjoy 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  man. 
  

   Here 
  they 
  are 
  but 
  slightly 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  farming 
  operations 
  which 
  

   drive 
  away 
  many 
  birds. 
  They 
  build 
  their 
  nests 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  

   exposed 
  situations, 
  and 
  neither 
  woods, 
  shrubbery, 
  nor 
  other 
  protect- 
  

   ing 
  growths 
  are 
  needed 
  to 
  induce 
  them 
  to 
  nest 
  on 
  the 
  farm. 
  In 
  spring 
  

   the 
  wheat 
  fields, 
  pastures, 
  and 
  meadows 
  not 
  yet 
  rankly 
  covered 
  are 
  

   chosen 
  as 
  nesting 
  sites; 
  earh 
  T 
  summer 
  finds 
  them 
  with 
  their 
  second 
  

   brood 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  of 
  young 
  corn, 
  and 
  still 
  more 
  belated 
  pairs 
  make 
  

   their 
  homes 
  in 
  the 
  stubble 
  fields. 
  In 
  winter, 
  feeding 
  lots, 
  barnyards, 
  

   and 
  all 
  open 
  fields 
  are 
  favorite 
  foraging 
  grounds, 
  and 
  often 
  they 
  may 
  

   be 
  seen 
  searching 
  for 
  food 
  along 
  the 
  much-frequented 
  country 
  road. 
  

   For 
  several 
  } 
  T 
  ears 
  the 
  writer 
  knew 
  of 
  a 
  meadow 
  where 
  these 
  birds 
  

   built 
  their 
  nests 
  and 
  reared 
  their 
  young. 
  They 
  fed 
  in 
  the 
  adjoining 
  

   road 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  cornfield 
  opposite, 
  and 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  here 
  the 
  } 
  T 
  ear 
  

   through. 
  From 
  these 
  facts 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  at 
  every 
  season 
  the 
  horned 
  

   lark 
  is 
  closely 
  identified 
  with 
  the 
  farm 
  and 
  thus 
  with 
  the 
  farmer's 
  

   welfare. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  birds 
  examined 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  this 
  bulletin, 
  and 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  by 
  full 
  data, 
  about 
  four 
  individuals 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  farming 
  land 
  

   to 
  one 
  taken 
  in 
  uncultivated 
  places. 
  About 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  

   number 
  had 
  eaten 
  insects, 
  somewhat 
  over 
  a 
  third 
  had 
  taken 
  grain 
  

   of 
  some 
  kind, 
  and 
  practically 
  all 
  had 
  eaten 
  weed 
  seeds. 
  As 
  explained 
  

   elsewhere, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  grain 
  is 
  obtained 
  along 
  roads 
  and 
  in 
  stubble, 
  

   and 
  hence 
  no 
  injury 
  is 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  farmer. 
  Of 
  the 
  number 
  found 
  away 
  

   from 
  farming 
  regions 
  all 
  had 
  eaten 
  weed 
  seeds, 
  nine-tenths 
  had 
  con- 
  

   sumed 
  insects, 
  and 
  about 
  one-half 
  had 
  taken 
  grain. 
  Those 
  larks 
  which 
  

   occur 
  far 
  from 
  cultivated 
  lands, 
  while 
  not 
  directly 
  beneficial 
  to 
  the 
  

   farmer, 
  undoubtedly 
  aid 
  him 
  indirectly 
  by 
  destroying 
  harmful 
  insects 
  

   and 
  weeds 
  which 
  might 
  spread 
  to 
  the 
  farms. 
  

  

  VEGETABLE 
  FOOD. 
  

  

  No 
  less 
  than 
  79.4 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  is 
  vege- 
  

   table 
  matter. 
  Of 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  1,154 
  birds 
  examined 
  only 
  22 
  had 
  eaten 
  

  

  