1,36 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XV 
I'ody, they were uniformly dark brown with a crescent shaped, or in some cases a 
\-shaped, creamy spot at the tips of the feathers. They were very quiet in the 
nest taking no notice of my proximity further than closing their eyes, which they 
kept closed until I had been near the nest for a minute or two. As their bright 
eyes are their most conspicuous part, perhaps this closing of them is an aid to 
their remaining undiscovered by predatorv animals. 
My third visit to the nest was on April i. It was empty, but probably the 
young had left in due time, as the old birds were more anxious than before while 
1 remained in the vicinity. The young had left the nest, probably the sixth day 
after hatching, at the latest, the eighth day. While seemingly a very early nesting 
Fig. 40. Dusky Horned Lark — A Family Group 
time and one of very short duration, it is entirely in keeping with the breeding 
habits of the other inhabitants of the sage brush of this part of the Yakima Valley. 
Mere the rainfall is only eight to twelve inches and most of it falls between Sep- 
tember and March. Reproduction in nearly all animals takes place coincidently 
with the veiy short growing season of plant life, which occurs with the first 
warmth of spring and before the dry spring winds have entirely robbed the soil 
of its scanty supply of moisture. March weather here is cold and raw, but I have 
noticed in the case of the horned larks’ nests that each was placed on the warm 
south side of a bush ; also that insects were numerous, especially ground species 
such as ants and beetles. 
