OBSERVED IN WESTERN IOWA. 497 



village of Denison, where I first noticed it in song, it was particularly common, and half do- 

 mestic in its habits, preferring apparently the streets and grassy lanes, and the immediate 

 vicinity of the village, to the remoter prairie. Here, wholly unmolested and unsuspicious, it 

 collected its food ; and the males, from their accustomed perches on the house-tops, daily 

 warbled their wild songs for hours together. Though in this trait of familiarity differing 

 widely from its eastern representative, it is a difference of habit common to too many 

 species in the newer parts of the West, where the birds are encouraged by man instead of 

 destroyed, to be relied on as a distinctive character. Its song, however, was so new to me I 

 did not at first have the slightest suspicion that its author was the Western Meadow Lark, 

 as I found it to be, the time being between daylight and sunrise, and the individual in 

 question singing from the top of the Court House. It differs from that of the Meadow 

 Lark in the Eastern States, in the notes being louder and wilder, and at the same time more 

 liquid, mellower, and far sweeter. They have a pensiveness and a general character remark- 

 ably in harmony with the half-dreary wildness of the primitive prairie, as though the bird had 

 received from its surroundings their peculiar impress ; while if less loud their songs would 

 hardly reach their mates above the strong winds that almost constantly sweep over the 

 prairies in the hot months. It differs, too, in the less frequency of the harsh complaining 

 chatter so conspicuous in the Eastern birds, so much so that at first I suspected this to be 

 wholly wanting. My estimate of the value of this difference of song, as an indication of 

 specific diversity, is somewhat modified by the fact that on my journey westward I found 

 already the notes of the Meadow Larks so different in Northern Illinois, as far east as Chicago 

 even, from those of Massachusetts birds, that I could not help remarking the difference, and 

 entered the fact among my notes ; the variation, moreover, being towards the Western Iowa 

 type. 



48. Icterus Baltimore Daud. Baltimore Oriole. Not common, and confined to the timber. 

 A single highly plumaged male was seen in crossing a -wide extent of prairie in northern 

 Carrol County, September 18. It was first noticed resting on the weeds in the road just 

 in front of our horses, and on halting it came immediately about the wagon, alighting on 

 the spokes of the wheels and beneath it on the reach. It appeared like a lost bird, exhibit- 

 ing great satisfaction in our company, and was not readily frightened away, following 

 us for a little distance as we resumed our journey. The incident struck us as quite remark- 

 able. The day being dark and rainy, nothing was visible at this point but the gently rolling 

 grassy prairie stretching on either hand as far as the eye could reach. 



49. Icterus spurius Bon. Orchard Oriole. Not common. Observed in the same situations 

 as the preceding, and in about the same numbers. 



50. Quiscalus versicolor Vieill. Purple Grakle. Very abundant in the cultivated districts. 

 By the first of August they had begun to gather in flocks, frequenting the wheatrfiekls, and 

 afterwards the corn. In Guthrie County, in September, saw them in immense flocks, passing 

 through the air in long trains, and blackening the corn-fields for a large extent whenever 

 they alighted. With them were usually associated a considerable number of the Redwings 

 (Affelcens phceniceus Vieill.). 



one from California especially, sent by the Smithsonian Institu- " agree in every respect with eastern specimens." Hence, 

 tion to the Museum of Comparative Zoology, of the same char- the well-marked difference in song seems to be the real, (con- 

 acter. Prof. Baird also alludes to specimens from Fort Steila- stant ?) distinction between the eastern and western birds, 

 coom and from California, which, at least one in particular, 

 MEMOIRS host. sou. sat. hist. Vol. I, Pt. 4. 126 



