THE SHORE LARK. 



EDWIN I. HAINES. 



The family of Alaudidcc, or true larks, 

 of which the skylark is a typical species, is 

 represented in this country only by the 

 horned lark and its geographical varieties- 

 From the Mexican tableland Northward to 

 Labrador and Alaska, no less than II geo- 

 graphical races are known. Each reflects 

 the influence of the conditions under which 

 it lives, and all intergrade one with an- 

 other Only 2 of these races are found in 

 the Eastern United States, the horned 



to about latitude 35°." Another claims it 

 is not found breeding East of the Missis- 

 sippi. Another says, "The Southernmost 

 nesting locality of the prairie horned lark 

 is Fort Judson, Alaska." 



Of course it must be other species of 

 horned larks to which those authorities re- 

 fer. 



In view, therefore, of our deficient 

 knowledge of the breeding range of this 

 bird, the discovery of its breeding in the 



PRAIRIE HORNED LARK, OTOCORIS ALPESTR1S PRA TICOLA. 



lark and the prairie horned lark. It is 

 with the latter species that this paper has 

 to deal 



The prairie horned lark, Otocoris alpes- 

 tris praticola, popularly known as the shore 

 lark, is a common winter resident in the 

 neighborhood of New York, and is found 

 at that season in most parts of Long Is- 

 land, but it is infrequent in the Hudson 

 river valley 



Hitherto little has been known about the 

 true breeding range of this lark. One 

 great naturalist says, "It breeds in North- 

 ern Europe, Greenland, Newfoundland, 

 Labrador and Hudson Bay region ; South- 

 ward in winter into Eastern United States 



Catskill mountains is of interest; not only 

 as greatly extending the area within 

 which its nest has actually been found, 

 but also as helping to clear the apparently 

 misunderstood subject of its faunal rela- 

 tionship. 



Mr. John Burroughs, writing to me in 

 regard to this species, says, "The shore 

 lark breeds and spends the summer in the 

 Catskills. It first appeared there about 

 1878." 



My first acquaintance with this bird was 

 made at Stamford, N. Y., at the head of 

 the upper valley of the Delaware river. 

 July 5, 1897, while walking along a coun- 

 try road South of the town, I saw 4 



