400 HISTORY OF THE 



Genus STURNELLA Vieiixot. 

 "Body thick, stout; legs large, toes reaching beyond the tail. Tail short,. 

 even, with narrow acuminate feathers. Bill slender, elongated; length about 

 three times the height; commissure straight from the basal angle. Culmen flat- 

 tened basally, extending backwards and parting the frontal feathers; longer 

 than the head, but shorter than tarsus. Nostrils linear, covered by an incum- 

 bent membranous scale. Inner lateral toe longer than the outer, but not reach- 

 ing to basal joint of middle; hind toe a little shorter than the middle, which is 

 equal to the tarsus. Hind claw nearly twice as long as the middle. Feathers 

 of head stiffened and bristly; the shafts of those above extended into a black 

 seta. Tertials nearly equal to the primaries. Feathers above all transversely 

 banded. Beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent." 



Sturaella magna (Linn.). 



MEADOWLARK. 

 PLATE XXV. 



Resident; abundant in the eastern and middle portion of the 

 State; rare in the western. Begin laying early in May. 



B. 406. R. 263. C. 320. G. 133. 193. U. 501. 



Habitat. Eastern North America; north to Nova Scotia and 

 Canada; west to the edge of the Great Plains. Breeds through- 

 out its range. 



Sp. Char. "The feathers above dark brown, margined with brownish 

 white, and with a terminal blotch of pale reddish brown. Exposed portion of 

 the wings and tail with dark brown bars, which on the middle tail feathers are 

 confluent along the shaft. Beneath yellow, with a black, pectoral crescent, the 

 yellow not extending on the side of the maxilla; sides, crissum and tibia pale 

 reddish brown, streaked with blackish. A light median and superciliary stripe, 

 the latter yellow anterior to the eye; a black line behind. Female smaller and 

 duller. Young with pectoral crescent replaced by streaks; the yellow of under 

 surface replaced more or less by ochraceous or pale fulvous." 



Stretch of 



Iris brown; bill reddish to olive brown, with basal half of 

 under pale bluish; legs light bluish flesh color; feet, especially 

 the joints, darker; claws brown. 



These well-known, plump, pretty birds inhabit the prairies 

 and open grass lands, where, during the summer months, they 

 feed almost exclusively upon beetles, grasshoppers, etc., and in 

 winter upon the fallen seeds and grains, often visiting the cattle 

 yards; harmless, beautiful birds, in no sense injurious, and there- 



