66 



THE WESTERN MEADOWLARK. 



At nesting time tlie Western Meadowlark enjuys a wide tlistril3uti(_]n in 

 Washington. It is fuund nut only on all grassy lowlands and in culti\ated 

 sections but in the open sage as well and upon the half-open pine-clad foot- 

 hills up toi an altitude of four thousand feet. 



The Meadowlark is an assiduous nester. This not because of any un- 

 usual amativeness but because young Meadowlarks are the morceaux delicicnx 

 of all the powers that prey, skunks, weasels, mink, raccoons, coyotes, snakes, 

 magpies, crows. Hawks and owls otherwise blameless in the bird-world err 

 here — the game is too easy. Even the noljle Peregrine does not disdain 

 this humble, albeit tooth- 

 some, quarry, and the 

 Least Falcon (F al c o 

 sparvcrius phalcnia) will 

 stoop for a young Mead- 

 owlark when all other 

 avian offerings are virtu- 

 ously passed by. 



Fecundity then is the 

 only recourse, — this, and 

 concealment. Not rely- 

 ing altogether upon its 

 marvelous protective 

 coloration the lark 

 exhibits great cau- 

 tion in approaching, 

 and, if possible, in 

 quitting its nest. In 

 either case it sneaks 

 along the ground for 

 a considerable dis- 

 tance, threading the 

 mazes of the grass 

 SO' artfully that the 

 human eye can fol- 

 low with difficulty or 

 not at all. At the ap- 

 proach of danger a sitting 

 bird may either steal from 

 nest unobserved and rise at 

 safe distance or else seek to 



... Taken m Stevens County. 



further her deception by feign- pi,oto by the Amhor. 



ing lameness after the fashion nest and eggs of the western meadowl.\rk. 



