HORNED LARK. 45 



the wind cuts the worst. It seems strange that in so small a body 

 the vital heat can be maintained under such adverse conditions, but 

 if one of these birds be examined, its body will be found completely 

 covered with a thick layer of fat, like the blubber on certain marine 

 animals. This indicates that horned larks have plenty to eat, and 

 that their food is largely carbonaceous. The necessity for such heat- 

 producing food does not exist in the case of the California horned 

 larks, but nevertheless they eat the same substances as those in a 

 colder climate, although probably in reduced quantities. 



The food of this bird consists largely of seeds picked up from the 

 ground. Very naturally a bird that subsists on scattered seeds would 

 pick up kernels of grain if they came in its way, and some persons 

 have declared that this bird does serious damage to newly sown grain. 

 As they sometimes associate in immense flocks, they may do harm 

 when large numbers alight on a field before the grain has been har- 

 rowed in. Drilling the grain, which is the modern method, will ob- 

 viate tins trouble. Most of the grain eaten by these larks is waste 

 from the harvest field. 



For the investigation of the food of the horned larks of California, 

 259 stomachs, collected in every month except May, were available. 

 While very irregularly distributed through the year, they probably 

 give a fair idea of the annual food. In the analysis of the contents of 

 these stomachs, approximately 9 percent of animal food was found to 

 91 percent of vegetable. 



Animal food. — The horned lark is essentially a vegetarian, but eats 

 a considerable number of insects during the reproductive season and 

 feeds many to the young. Most of the animal food was taken between 

 March and June, inclusive. The latter has the highest record, nearly 

 30 percent. As this lark is an early breeder, it begins eating insects 

 early in the season. After June there is a rapid decrease in animal 

 food, and the stomachs taken in November contained none whatever. 



For convenience this part of the diet may be divided into the two 

 items, beetles and other insects. Beetles amount to about 5 percent. 

 Like the animal food in general, they were found in greatest quanti- 

 ties in the stomachs taken from March to June, the latter month 

 showing a little over 20 percent. While a few predaceous ground 

 beetles were eaten, the great bulk of these insects were of harmful 

 species, among which were some snout beetles or weevils. The re- 

 mainder of the animal food, 4 percent, consisted of bugs, ants, cater- 

 pillars, and a few miscellaneous insects and spiders. Of these, the 

 greater number are either harmful or neutral. 



Vegetable food. — The great interest in the food of the horned lark 

 centers about the vegetable part. This consists of grain and weed 

 seed. Corn was found in only one stomach. Wheat was contained 



