﻿30 
  HORNED 
  LARKS 
  IN 
  RELATION 
  TO 
  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  One 
  hundred 
  and 
  four 
  birds 
  in 
  first 
  plumage 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  seven 
  of 
  

   the 
  twelve 
  months. 
  The 
  average 
  amount 
  of 
  animal 
  food 
  eaten 
  by 
  

   them 
  was 
  13.47 
  percent, 
  7.15 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  quantity 
  consumed 
  

   by 
  the 
  adults. 
  There 
  is, 
  in 
  fact, 
  no 
  month 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  eat 
  

   less 
  animal 
  matter 
  than 
  the 
  old 
  birds; 
  thus 
  in 
  January 
  they 
  get 
  none 
  

   at 
  all, 
  in 
  May 
  they 
  consume 
  not 
  quite 
  1 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  adults, 
  

   in 
  June 
  25.1 
  percent 
  less, 
  in 
  July 
  5.81 
  percent 
  less. 
  In 
  August 
  three 
  

   young 
  birds 
  had 
  eaten 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  only 
  0.5 
  percent 
  of 
  animal 
  food, 
  

   which 
  is 
  over 
  43 
  percent 
  below 
  the 
  amount 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  adults 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  month. 
  In 
  September 
  three 
  birds 
  obtained 
  5.33 
  percent, 
  or 
  9.27 
  

   percent 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  old 
  birds. 
  In 
  October 
  only 
  one 
  immature 
  bird 
  

   was 
  collected, 
  and 
  it 
  had 
  eaten 
  5 
  percent 
  of 
  animal 
  matter, 
  which 
  was 
  

   more 
  than 
  9 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  average 
  amount 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  adults 
  

   during 
  that 
  month. 
  

  

  In 
  May, 
  June, 
  and 
  July 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  although 
  they 
  con- 
  

   sume 
  less 
  animal 
  food 
  than 
  the 
  adults, 
  get 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  average 
  

   amount 
  for 
  the 
  species, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  they 
  are 
  fed 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  by 
  

   the 
  adults. 
  In 
  August, 
  September, 
  October, 
  and 
  January, 
  as 
  we 
  

   have 
  seen, 
  they 
  either 
  care 
  little 
  for 
  animal 
  food 
  or, 
  as 
  is 
  more 
  likely, 
  

   are 
  unable 
  to 
  procure 
  it 
  from 
  want 
  of 
  skill. 
  The 
  latter 
  conclusion 
  

   seems 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  probable, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  first-named 
  month 
  that 
  

   the 
  adults 
  consume 
  the 
  maximum 
  amount 
  for 
  the 
  }^ear. 
  

  

  If 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  food 
  of 
  adults 
  and 
  young 
  (exclusive 
  of 
  

   nestlings) 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  months 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  latter 
  were 
  collected, 
  

   the 
  young 
  fall 
  more 
  than 
  15 
  percent 
  below 
  the 
  average 
  of 
  their 
  parents, 
  

   and, 
  be 
  the 
  reason 
  what 
  it 
  may, 
  the 
  fact 
  remains 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  

   January 
  and 
  from 
  May 
  to 
  October, 
  inclusive, 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   consume 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  as 
  much 
  animal 
  matter 
  as 
  the 
  adults. 
  

  

  FOOD 
  OF 
  THE 
  HORNED 
  LARKS 
  OF 
  CALIFORNIA 
  COMPARED 
  WITH 
  

   THAT 
  OF 
  THE 
  OTHER 
  FORMS. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  California 
  subspecies 
  ( 
  Otoeoris 
  alpestris 
  actia) 
  

   were 
  found 
  to 
  differ 
  so 
  remarkably 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  horned 
  

   larks 
  as 
  to 
  merit 
  separate 
  notice. 
  Briefly 
  stated, 
  the 
  difference 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  in 
  the 
  high 
  percentage 
  of 
  vegetable 
  — 
  as 
  compared 
  to 
  the 
  animal 
  — 
  

   food 
  consumed 
  by 
  the 
  California 
  birds. 
  Proceeding 
  to 
  details 
  it 
  will 
  

   be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  accompanying 
  chart 
  (fig. 
  13) 
  that 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   animal 
  matter 
  consumed 
  fluctuates 
  irregularly 
  throughout 
  the 
  year, 
  

   obeying 
  no 
  obvious 
  law. 
  No 
  stomachs 
  were 
  collected 
  in 
  May, 
  and 
  the 
  

   number 
  for 
  some 
  other 
  months 
  is 
  too 
  small 
  to 
  furnish 
  reliable 
  results, 
  

   but 
  the 
  aggregate 
  for 
  the 
  year, 
  267, 
  is 
  quite 
  sufficient 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  good 
  

   idea 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  subspecies. 
  

  

  No 
  nestlings 
  of 
  v 
  the 
  California 
  lark 
  were 
  examined. 
  The 
  first 
  brood 
  

   of 
  these 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  hatched 
  in 
  April 
  or 
  May, 
  and 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  

   animal 
  matter 
  consumed 
  by 
  the 
  California 
  larks 
  in 
  these 
  two 
  months 
  

  

  

  