SOUTHERN MElADOWLARK 81 



Nesting. — The nesting habits of the southern meadowlark do not 

 differ materially from those of its northern relative. The only nest 

 I have ever seen was found on Merritt's Island, Fla., on April 26, 

 1902. While tramping across a broad grassy plain, I flushed a mead- 

 ovdark from her nest almost at my feet. The nest was sunken into 

 the ground between two small tussocks of short grass in a rather 

 open place; it was made of dry grass and weed stems, and arched over 

 with dead and green grass; it was rather poorly hidden. 



Maynard (1896), referring to certain plains in southern Florida, 

 says: "The growth of grass on the margins of these plains is low, 

 seldom exceeding 6 inches in height, and consequently forms the homes 

 of countless Meadow Larks, for these birds always exhibit a decided 

 preference for low herbage." Howell (1932), on the other hand, says 

 that the nests "are well concealed in thick grass." 



Donald J. Nicholson (1929) states that this meadowlark is very 

 sensitive to any examination of its nest, and will usually desert it if it 

 is discovered before the set is complete; he tells of a pair that built 

 three nests before they felt safe in laying their eggs in the third, the 

 first two having been examined before the eggs were laid. 



Eggs. — The set for the southern meadowlark usually consists of 

 three or four eggs, very rarely five. These are practically indistin- 

 guishable from those of the northern bird. The measurements of 40 

 eggs average 27.5 by 20.4 millimeters; the eggs showing the four 

 extremes measure 30.5 by 21.3, and 23.8 by 17.5 millimeters. 



In the inhabited regions of Florida, especially near towns and 

 villages, where the birds are sometimes hunted as game, the south- 

 ern meadowlark is as wild and shy as is its relative in the north. 

 But, in the more remote, unsettled regions, it is often very tame and 

 unsuspicious of man. 



Mayuard (1896) says that, in such a wilderness in 1871 — 



The birds which occurred there were seldom if ever disturbed so that I found 

 them exceedingly tame; in fact they would start up at my feet, fly a few yards, 

 and either settle down again in the grass or alight on a low limb of a pine, where 

 they would quietly gaze at me, even allowing me to pass directly beneath them 

 without attempting to move. Then as if satisfied that I intended doing them 

 no harm, would sound a loud, strange note which was so utterly at variance with 

 the song of the same species in New England, that when I first heard it could 

 scarcely believe it was a Meadow Lark. This lay even in the North has a pecu- 

 liar intonation which is quite suggestive of freedom, but that given by the birds 

 which inhabit the trackless piney woods and widespread plains of Florida is, 

 although very melodious and pleasing, so wild, clear and ringing, that it is in 

 perfect harmony with surroundings where Nature reigns supreme. 



Others have noticed a difference between the songs of the northern 

 and southern birds. I wrote in my journal in 1902, when my hear- 

 ing was good, that it was similar to the song of the eastern meadow- 



