30 HORNED LARKS IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURE. 
One hundred and four birds in tirst plumage were taken in seven of 
th»' twelve months. The average amount of inimal food eaten by 
them was 1:1.47 percent. 7.15 percent less than the quantity consumed 
by the adults. There is. m fact, no month in which they do not eat 
less animal matter than the old birds: thus in January they get none 
at all. in May they consume not quite 1 percent less than the adults, 
in June !?.*">. 1 percent less, in July .~>.M percent les^. In August three 
young birds had eaten an average of only <>..'> percent of animal food, 
which is over -!."> percent below th( 4 amount taken by the adults in the 
same month. In September three birds obtained 5.33 percent, or 9.27 
percent less than the old birds. In October only one immature bird 
was collected, and it had eaten 5 percent of animal matter, which was 
more than '.♦ percent less than the average amount taken by the adults 
during that month. 
In May. June, and July the birds of the year, although they con- 
sume less animal food than tin 1 adults. ge\ more than the average 
amount for the species, and perhaps they are fed to some extent by 
the adults. In August, September. October, and January, as we 
have seen, they either care little for animal food or. as is more likely, 
are unable to procure it from want of skill. The latter conclusion 
seems all the more probable, since it is in the first-named month that 
the adults consume the maximum amount for the year. 
If comparison of the animal food of adults and young (exclusive of 
nestlings) is confined to the months in which tin 1 latter were collected, 
the young fall more than 1.") percent below the average of their parents. 
and, be the reason what it may. the fact remains that in the month of 
January and from May to October, inclusive, the birds of the year 
consume less than half as much animal matter as the adults. 
FOOD OF THE HORNED LARKS OF CALIFORNIA COMPARED WITH 
THAT OF THE OTHER FORMS. 
The food habits of the California subspecies (Otocoris alpestris actio) 
were found to differ so remarkably from those of the other horned 
larks as to merit separate notice. Briefly stated, the difference con- 
sists in the high percentage of vegetable as compared to the animal 
food consumed by the California birds. Proceeding to details it will 
be seen from the accompanying chart (lig. L3) that the quantity of 
animal matter consumed fluctuates irregularly throughout the year," 
obeying no obvious law . No stomachs were collected in May. and the 
number for some other months is too small to furnish reliable results, 
but the aggregate for the year. 2*17. is quite sufficient to give a good 
idea of the food of the subspecie-. 
No nestlings of the California lark were examined. The first brood 
of these is said to be hatched in April or May. and the percentage of 
animal matter consumed by the California larks in these two months 
