Page:Bird-lore Vol 06.djvu/25

 Horned Larks in Colorado Springs, Colo.

By E R. WARREN

“my photographs "rim nature h) mt- author

I I \HE winter of 190273 was severe in Colorado, and during January and February enough snow lay on the ground about Colorado Springs to prevent the Horned Larks, which are

numerous on the plains, from ﬁnding their usual supply of seeds. Hunger drove them into the city by thousands. Great ﬂocks were on the down-town streets, feeding on anything in the shape of grain they could ﬁnd, many being found about the grainy and feed-stores picking up the waste grain, Many people threw out millet and other seeds for them. and they soon learned to ﬂock to those places.

In Alamo Park were two or three places about twelve feet in diameter where seed was thrown to them. and when there was nothing there the birds would be sitting about on the snow waiting. As soon as food was thrown on one of these places it would at once he so covered by the birds that not a bit of ground would be visible. only a mass of birds, ﬁghting and struggling incessantly and keeping up a continual chirping.

Next to our house, in the north part of the city, is a vacant lot which was overgrown with weeds, and here the Larks came. I put millet out for them at a place where I could conveniently watch from the library window. and the birds soon found it. For several weeks they were about more or less of the time. It was a good place to set the camera and many exposures were made But the birds are rather pugnacious and continually ﬁghting, and it

HUIVED LARKS is cowuno swarms

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