. The birds of Ohio; a complete scientific and popular description of the 320 species of birds found in the state. Birds -- Ohio. THE PRAIRIE HORNED LARK. 235 Labrador birds, it may be, are still flocking; Bluebird lias not brought the official tidings of spring from the Southland; but only let the February sun shine a little while and "Prairie's" brave courting song is heard from on high. When the frost is out of the ground, altho there may still be ample danger of snows, the sturdy pair sink a deep, cup-shaped depression in the moist earth and line it plentifully with dried grasses
. The birds of Ohio; a complete scientific and popular description of the 320 species of birds found in the state. Birds -- Ohio. THE PRAIRIE HORNED LARK. 235 Labrador birds, it may be, are still flocking; Bluebird lias not brought the official tidings of spring from the Southland; but only let the February sun shine a little while and "Prairie's" brave courting song is heard from on high. When the frost is out of the ground, altho there may still be ample danger of snows, the sturdy pair sink a deep, cup-shaped depression in the moist earth and line it plentifully with dried grasses, last year's thistle down, and such. In this latitude the eggs are laid in March or early April, three or four in number, heavily and oftenest minutely, dotted with dull olive or greenish brown, but sometimes bearing spots as large as those of Shrikes' eggs. The favorite way to locate Horned Larks' nests in season is to post one's self at the edge of a field and watch the female skulk to her nest. I. have followed a bird with my glasses half way across a forty acre held until she was so far away that I could judge of her whereabouts only by the fact that movement had apparently ceased. As I walked straight toward the nest the bird would flush at forty or fifty yards. A first brood is raised in April and a second in June or July. Accord- ing to Prof. Lynds Jones three broods are raised in Iowa, one early in April, another carl) in June, and a third in late July, or August. But the chief interest of nesting time centers in the song flight of the male. The song itself is perhaps nothing remarkable, a little ditty or suc- cession of sprightly syllables which have no considerable resonance or mod- ulation, altho they quite defy vocalization; yet such are the circumstances attending its delivery that it is set down by every one as "pleasing," while. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability -
Size: 1955px × 1278px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthordawsonwi, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1903
