﻿VALUE 
  OF 
  HORDED 
  L^RK. 
  33 
  

  

  larks 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  considered 
  separately, 
  are 
  even 
  more 
  insectivorous 
  

   than 
  those 
  from 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  being 
  

   animal 
  matter. 
  

  

  The 
  charges 
  made 
  by 
  farmers 
  that 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  eat 
  newly 
  sown 
  

   grain 
  are 
  confirmed, 
  but 
  in 
  attempting 
  to 
  estimate 
  the 
  economic 
  value 
  

   of 
  the 
  birds 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  the 
  insects 
  they 
  eat 
  com- 
  

   pensate 
  many 
  fold 
  for 
  the 
  seed 
  grain 
  taken, 
  even 
  considered 
  bulk 
  for 
  

   bulk. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  however, 
  the 
  insects 
  eaten 
  constitute 
  

   almost 
  twice 
  as 
  great 
  a 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  as 
  the 
  grain, 
  including 
  

   eveu 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  waste. 
  As 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  foregoing 
  table, 
  

   the 
  grain-eating 
  proclivities 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  in 
  most 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  

   result 
  in 
  very 
  little 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  farmer. 
  Furthermore, 
  even 
  this, 
  

   small 
  amount 
  of 
  injury 
  is 
  preventable 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  deep-planting 
  

   drill 
  in 
  seeding. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  estimate 
  in 
  dollars 
  and 
  cents 
  the 
  benefits 
  result- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  lark, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  none 
  the 
  less 
  real 
  on 
  

   that 
  account. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  services 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  cost 
  the 
  farmer 
  

   practically 
  nothing 
  save 
  a 
  small 
  toll 
  levied 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  upon 
  seed 
  

   grain. 
  So 
  small 
  in, 
  amount 
  is 
  the 
  grain 
  thus 
  taken 
  and 
  over 
  such 
  

   restricted 
  areas 
  that, 
  aside 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  at 
  small 
  expense 
  all 
  

   damage 
  can 
  be 
  prevented, 
  the 
  loss 
  bears 
  no 
  comparison 
  to 
  the 
  benefits 
  

   conferred. 
  The 
  horned 
  lark 
  by 
  its 
  services 
  to 
  agriculture 
  earns 
  a 
  

   right 
  to 
  live, 
  and 
  deserves 
  protection 
  at 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  man. 
  

  

  