126 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTUHAL SOCIETY. 



late summer and early fall. During the balance of the year it is en- 

 gaged most of the time in waging war upon various insect pests, in- 

 cluding such forms as the ** grub- worms," cut-worms, grasshoppers, 

 army worm, beet cater j)iliar, etc. Even when it visits our corn-fields 

 it more than pays for the corn it eats by the destruction of the worms 

 that lurk under the husks of a large per cent of the ears in every field. 

 Several years ago the beet-fields in the vicinity of Grand Island were 

 threatened great injury by a certain caterpillar that had nearly defo- 

 liated all the beets growing in many of them. At about this time 

 large flocks of this bird appeared and after a week's sojourn the cater- 

 pillar plague had vanished, it having been converted into bird tissues. 

 Numerous other records of the efficiency of their labor as destroyers 

 of insect pests might be quoted in favor of these birds, but I do not 

 believe this to be necessary, although considerable evidence has been 

 recorded of its destroying both fruits and grains. 



501. Sturnella magna (Linn.). — Meadowlark. 



Entire stale, breeds (L. Braner); eastern form not beyond Ft. Kearney; 

 "Resident, common " (Taylor); " West to the edge of the Great Plains " (Goas); 

 Beatrice, De Witt — nesting (A. S. Pearse); Cherry county — breeds (J. M. 

 Bates); Gage county— breeds (F. A. Colby); " probably occurs here, have heard 

 it in Iowa opposite Omaha" (I. S. Trostler); Long Pine (J. M. Bates). 



5016. Sturnella magna neglecta (^uc?.).— Western Meadow- 

 lark. 



West Point, Lincoln, Thedford, Sidney, Ft. Robinson, Harrison, etc. — breeds. 

 Only occasionally in eastern part, very common in western part of state (L. 

 Bruner); " »(efir?eda most abundant " (Aughey); "Resident, common " (Taylor); 

 "From Nebraska and Texas to the Pacific coast " (Goss); Omaha— nesting (L. 

 Skovv); Peru — breeds (G. A. Coleman); Cherry county — nesting, also occasion- 

 ally ^vintering (J. M. Bates); numerous localities in state (D. H. Talbot); "An 

 abundant resident— breeds April 20 to Aug. 3" (L S. Trostler); Hat creek 

 basin, one specimen remained throughout winter (Elliott W. Brown). 



506. Icterus spurius (Linn.). — Orchard Oriole. 



Omaha, Lincoln, West Point, South Bend, Bellevue — breeds (L. Brnner); 

 " Common but not abundantin Nebraska, and breeds here" (Aughey); "Sum- 

 mer resident, abundant" (Taylor); "West to the base of the Rocky moun- 

 tains" (Goss); Beatrice, De Witt— nesting (A. S. Pearse); Omaha— breeds (L. 

 Skow); Peru, common— breeds (G. A. Coleman); Cherry county — breeds (J. 

 M.Bates); Newcastle (D.H.Talbot); Gage county— breeds (F. A. Colby); 

 Omaha, "a common summer resident, arrives May 1 to 10, breeds June 10 to 

 20, depart in September" (L S. Trostler). 



