136 THE CONDOR Vol. XV body, they were uniformly dark brown with a crescent shaped, or in some cases a ' v-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 remainfrOg undiscovered by predatory animals. My third visit to the nest was .on April ?. It was empty, but probably the young had left in due time, as the old birds were more anxious than before while I remained i.n 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 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. Here 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 very 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.
