90 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



them hard at work in such egg-beds, digging industriously for the 

 palatable eggs, which are generally laid in clusters from a few to 

 over fifty." 



Behavior. — In a general way the habits of the western meadow- 

 lark are very similar to those of the well-known eastern species. 

 Ridgway (1877), however, noted the following differences in its man- 

 ners: "It is a much more familiar bird than its eastern relative, and 

 we observed that the manner of its flight differed in an important 

 respect, the bird flitting along with a comparatively steady, though 

 trembling, flutter, instead of propelling itself by occasional spasmodic 

 beatings of the wings, then extending them horizontally during the 

 intervals between these beats, as is the well-known manner of flight 

 of the eastern species." 



In his notes from western Iowa, Dr. J. A. Allen (1868) writes: "At 

 the little village of Denison, where I first noticed it in song, it was 

 particularly common, and half domestic in its habits, preferring ap- 

 parently the streets and grassy lanes, and the immediate vicinity of 

 the village, to the remoter prairie. Here, wholly unmolested and un- 

 suspicious, it collected its food ; and the males, from their accustomed 

 perches on the house-tops, daily warbled their wild songs for hours 

 together." 



Grinnell and Storer (1924) say: "In spring and early summer mead- 

 owlarks are seen chiefly in pairs; but throughout the fall and winter they 

 forage in flocks numbering anywhere from 10 to 75 individuals. The 

 flock organization is loose; in fleeing from danger each bird takes its 

 own course, remaining with or leaving the flock at will. It usually 

 happens that certain individual birds fail to take wing when a flock is 

 first flushed, and these belated birds subsequently rise one after another 

 as their field is invaded, to straggle off independently." 



Kendeigh (1941), speaking of some birds he had under observation, 

 states: "Through July, six to a dozen or more meadowlarks were 

 seen frequently in the evenings as they went to roost in the grass 

 within the former territory of the male of nest No. 1 or in other 

 parts of the area. Male No. 1 was not a member of this group; his 

 tail had been clipped for recognition purposes. These birds do not 

 roost on any perch above the grass cover. Although they could not 

 be observed at very close range, it appeared that they passed the 

 night on the ground under some clump of grass, where they were 

 relatively well protected." 



Voice. — Much has been written in praise of the western meadow- 

 lark's sweetly beautiful song, but only a few of the many references 

 to it in the literature can be quoted. Its song is the bird's greatest 

 charm, which is bound to attract attention to it. My first impressions 

 of it are mentioned at the beginning of this story. Aretas A. Saunders 



