﻿CALIFORNIA 
  HORNED 
  LARK. 
  

  

  31 
  

  

  would 
  probably 
  be 
  largety 
  increased 
  if 
  nestlings 
  had 
  been 
  included 
  in 
  

   the 
  examinations. 
  It 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  highest 
  percentage 
  of 
  animal 
  

   matter 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  June. 
  This, 
  however, 
  is 
  only 
  27.7 
  percent, 
  not 
  

   much 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  highest 
  monthly 
  average 
  for 
  the 
  other 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  This 
  small 
  percentage 
  appears 
  the 
  more 
  remark- 
  

   able 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  collected 
  in 
  June 
  in 
  California 
  

   were 
  from 
  places 
  where 
  insect 
  life 
  abounds. 
  Some 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  salt 
  

   marshes, 
  where 
  fly 
  larvae 
  are 
  numerous, 
  and 
  others 
  from 
  beaches 
  where 
  

   small 
  chrysomelids 
  are 
  plentiful. 
  In 
  most 
  localities, 
  however, 
  insects 
  

   are 
  scarce 
  during 
  the 
  dry 
  season, 
  but 
  almost 
  everywhere 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  vegetable 
  food 
  accessible 
  to 
  the 
  larks. 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  weeds, 
  

   except 
  the 
  tarweeds 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  drought-resisting 
  species, 
  dry 
  up, 
  

   and 
  a 
  litter 
  of 
  broken 
  plants, 
  which 
  contains 
  many 
  seeds, 
  covers 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  Ants 
  and 
  grasshoppers 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  insects 
  

   found 
  in 
  any 
  numbers 
  in 
  

   these 
  "dry 
  pastures.' 
  It 
  is 
  

  

  

  </AN 
  

  

  FEB 
  

  

  MAR 
  

  

  APR 
  

  

  HAY 
  

  

  JUNE 
  

  

  duty 
  

  

  AUG-. 
  

  

  sept 
  

  

  OCT. 
  

  

  MV 
  

  

  OEC. 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  80 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  60 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  40 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  20 
  

  

  

  

  A 
  

  

  

  

  \ 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  / 
  

  

  V 
  

  

  

  \ 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  O 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Fig. 
  13.— 
  Diagram 
  showing 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  animal 
  and 
  

   vegetable 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  California 
  horned 
  lark 
  for 
  every 
  

   month 
  in 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  therefore 
  not 
  surprising 
  that 
  

   vegetable 
  food 
  composes 
  

   91.41 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  diet 
  of 
  

   the 
  California 
  horned 
  larks, 
  

   while 
  the 
  larks 
  in 
  the 
  re- 
  

   mainder 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  take 
  

   less 
  than 
  80 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  class 
  of 
  food. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   vegetable 
  matter, 
  weed 
  seed, 
  

   which 
  is 
  51.1 
  percent, 
  is 
  less 
  

   than 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   kind 
  of 
  food 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  

   other 
  horned 
  larks. 
  The 
  rest 
  

   of 
  the 
  vegetable 
  food, 
  40.2 
  

   percent, 
  is 
  grain, 
  including 
  that 
  from 
  wild 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  from 
  cultivated 
  

   plants. 
  Hence 
  the 
  most 
  serious 
  complaints 
  of 
  the 
  grain-feeding 
  habits 
  

   of 
  the 
  larks 
  come 
  from 
  California, 
  and 
  the 
  foregoing 
  facts 
  partially 
  

   justify 
  them. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  98 
  horned 
  larks 
  examined 
  which 
  had 
  eaten 
  wheat, 
  23 
  came 
  

   from 
  California. 
  Two 
  hundred 
  and 
  one 
  had 
  eaten 
  oats, 
  and 
  130 
  of 
  

   these 
  were 
  from 
  California. 
  Of 
  the 
  grain 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  

   of 
  California, 
  31.1 
  percent 
  consists 
  of 
  oats 
  and 
  9.1 
  percent 
  of 
  wheat, 
  

   corn 
  having 
  been 
  eaten 
  by 
  but 
  one 
  bird. 
  Oats, 
  then, 
  are 
  the 
  favorite 
  

   food, 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  account 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  damage 
  the 
  

   crop. 
  However, 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  oats 
  consumed 
  probably 
  comes 
  

   from 
  the 
  wild 
  plants 
  so 
  abundant 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  a 
  benefit. 
  

  

  The 
  California 
  horned 
  larks 
  consume 
  only 
  8.56 
  percent 
  of 
  animal 
  

   food, 
  while 
  the 
  other 
  forms 
  collectively 
  eat 
  20.61 
  percent. 
  Consider- 
  

  

  