﻿32 
  HORNED 
  LARKS 
  IN 
  RELATION 
  TO 
  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  ation 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  subspecies 
  indicates 
  how 
  powerfully 
  

   local 
  conditions, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  abundance 
  or 
  scarcity 
  of 
  certain 
  foods, 
  

   affect 
  the 
  economic 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  bird. 
  Horned 
  larks, 
  like 
  other 
  birds, 
  

   naturally 
  have 
  recourse 
  to 
  the 
  foods 
  which 
  are 
  most 
  abundant 
  and 
  

   most 
  accessible, 
  the 
  ubiquitous 
  wild 
  oats 
  being, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  

   California 
  birds, 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greatest 
  single 
  element 
  of 
  their 
  diet. 
  

  

  In 
  California, 
  then, 
  where 
  they 
  depend 
  chiefly 
  upon 
  grain 
  for 
  food, 
  

   the 
  horned 
  larks 
  ma} 
  T 
  do 
  considerable 
  harm, 
  especiall\ 
  T 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  

   very 
  numerous. 
  Elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  other 
  foods 
  being 
  

   generally 
  abundant, 
  grain 
  is 
  taken 
  onl} 
  T 
  incidentally 
  and 
  little 
  injury 
  

   is 
  done. 
  

  

  SUMMARY. 
  

  

  Examination 
  of 
  1,154 
  stomachs 
  collected 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  and 
  southern 
  Canada 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  

   consists 
  of 
  insects, 
  20.6 
  percent, 
  and 
  vegetable 
  matter, 
  nearly 
  six- 
  

   sevenths 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  weed 
  seed, 
  79A 
  percent. 
  

  

  The 
  nestlings 
  are 
  highly 
  insectivorous, 
  but 
  soon 
  after 
  leaving 
  the 
  

   nest 
  they 
  become 
  much 
  more 
  vegetarian 
  than 
  even 
  the 
  adults. 
  

  

  The 
  horned 
  larks 
  of 
  California 
  differ 
  markedly 
  in 
  food 
  habits 
  from 
  

   those 
  of 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  being 
  almost 
  entirely 
  vegetarian, 
  

   and 
  although 
  the 
  number 
  examined 
  constitutes 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  fifth 
  

   of 
  the 
  total, 
  yet 
  they 
  consume 
  half 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  grain 
  eaten 
  D3 
  7 
  the 
  whole 
  

   group. 
  Below 
  are 
  contrasted 
  the 
  amounts 
  of 
  grain 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  horned 
  

   larks 
  of 
  California 
  and 
  of 
  other 
  States: 
  

  

  Grain. 
  California. 
  Elsewhere. 
  

  

  

  

  Percent. 
  

  

  Percent. 
  

  

  Oats 
  

  

  

  31.1 
  

  

  4.86 
  

  

  Wheat 
  

  

  

  9.1 
  

  

  1.66 
  

  

  Corn 
  

  

  Trace. 
  

  

  4.97 
  

  

  Buckwheat 
  

  

  None. 
  

  

  68 
  

  

  

  • 
  

  

  

  Total 
  

  

  40.2 
  

  

  12.2 
  

  

  ^ 
  

  

  

  

  From 
  the 
  above 
  facts 
  and 
  figures 
  it 
  might 
  appear 
  that 
  the 
  California 
  

   horned 
  larks 
  are 
  decidedly 
  injurious, 
  but 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  oats 
  eaten 
  as 
  

   indicated 
  by 
  the 
  ratios 
  does 
  not 
  fairl} 
  T 
  represent 
  the 
  birds' 
  economic 
  

   status, 
  since 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  this 
  grain 
  is 
  wild 
  and 
  hence 
  of 
  no 
  

   value 
  to 
  the 
  farmer. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  grain 
  eaten 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  States, 
  buckwheat 
  is 
  a 
  negligible 
  

   amount, 
  while 
  practically 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  corn 
  and 
  oats 
  eaten 
  is 
  waste. 
  

   Although 
  the 
  Great 
  Plains 
  region, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  wheat-growing 
  

   area 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  

   iarks, 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  a 
  proportionate 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  stomachs 
  

   examined, 
  yet 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  wheat 
  eaten 
  is 
  only 
  1.66. 
  In 
  fact, 
  the 
  

  

  