84 
THE BIIIDS OF WISCONSIN. 
tion, except on the larger prairies, while praticola is found in 
almost any field or pasture, even when quite small and sur- 
rounded by woods. Usually found associated with the Lapland 
longspur, arriving - and departing with the latter. It averages 
so much larger than the prairie horned lark as to be readily 
recognized. 
Otocoris alpestris praticola Hcnsh. PRAIRIE HORNED LARK. 
This is the common, resident horned lark of Wisconsin, and 
is an abundant breeding species in all suitable localities. Fre- 
quently nesting as early as the middle of March, two broods are 
reared in a season. Breeding birds from northwestern 
Wisconsin show a considerable variation from those of the 
southern part of the state. In extremely cold weather in mid- 
winter this form sometimes almost wholly disappears for a very 
short time. 
Otocoris alpestris hoyti Bishop. HOYT'S HORNED LARK. 
We have long mistrusted O. a. arenicola Hensh. as an 
occasional late fall or winter visitor to Wisconsin, and since the 
publication of Air. Oberholser's "Review of the Larks of the 
Genus Otocoris" (1) have carefully gone over our series from 
many parts of the state. We find, as a consequence, no less 
than three perfectly typical specimens of 0. a. hoyti, all pro- 
cured in winter in Rock County, from large flocks of alpestris. 
The birds are doubtless of rare, but regular occurrence as late 
fall stragglers in many open prairie sections of the state. 
FAniLY CORVIOC: CROWS, JAYS, MAGPIES, ETC. 
Pica pica hudsonica (Sab.). AMERICAN MAGPIE. 
Rare winter visitant. The magpie was doubtless formerly 
of more frequent occurrence in Wisconsin than during recent 
years. Dr. Hoy states that two were shot at Caledonia in 
December, 1848, and one was obtained at Bailey's Harbor, on 
Lake Michigan, November 15, 1849, by a gentleman from 
Racine. Mr. J. N. Clark, of Meridian, writes us that one was 
captured in a trap in Dunn County in 1870, and that he himself 
saw one in the same locality, at close gun range, in February, 
1884. In the winter of 1859-GO, Thure Kumlien made a num- 
ber of ineffectual attempts to shoot a specimen that came daily 
to feed on some hog offal, that had been hung upon a neighbors 
1. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXIV, pp. 801-884. 
