THE BIRD BOOK 
474c — 474e — 47 4 f 
474b. Prairie Horned Lark. 
Otocoris alpestris praticnla. 
Range. — Breeds in the Mississippi Valley from Illinois 
north to Manitoba and east to the Middle States; winters 
south to Carolina and Texas. 
This sub-species is considerably smaller than the Horn 
ed Lark, and the throat is paler yellow, while the line over 
the eye and the forehead is white. They 
are the most abundant and have the 
most extended range of any of the better 
known species. In the Mississippi Val- 
ley, where they are of the most common 
of the nesting birds, they build on the 
ground in meadows or cultivated fields, 
and very often in cornfields; the nests 
are made of grasses and lined with horse hairs or feathers, 
and placed in slight hollows generally under a tuft of grass 
or sods. They raise two broods a season and sometimes 
three, laying the first set of eggs in March and another in 
June or July. The three or four eggs have an olive buff 
ground and are thickly sprinkled with drab and lavender; 
size .83 x .60. 
Olive buff 
474c. Desert Horned Lark. Otocoris alpestris leu- 
colcema. 
Range.- — Plains of western United States, east of the Rockies and west of 
Kansas and Dakota; breeds north to Alberta, and winters south to Mexico, 
Texas and southern California. 
This species is like praticola, hut paler on the back; nest and eggs the same. 
474d. Texas Horned Lark. Otocoris alpestris giraudi. 
Range.- — Coast of southeastern Texas. 
A pale variety like leucolwma, hut smaller; throat bright yellow, and breast 
tinged with yellow. Nest and eggs like those of the others. 
474e. California Horned Lark. Otocoris alpestris actia. 
Range.- — Lower California and southern California. 
This bird is similar to the last but the yellow areas are brighter, and the 
nape and back are ruddy. 
474f. Ruddy Horned I, ark. Otocoris alpestris rubea 
Range. — Sacramento Valley, California. 
This variety has the yellow areas brighter than in any other 
and the hack and nape are more ruddy. The eggs cannot be 
distinguished from those of the others. 
Olive buff 
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