BIRDS — ICTERIDAE — STURNELLA NEOLECTA. 



537 



In other respects there is a great similarity. Tlic species may, however, prove to be distinct. 

 TIjo American meadow hirk was first named by Linnaeus in the tenth edition of Syst. Nat. 

 1758, and called Alauda magna, after Catesby's uninistakeiible fij^ure. In tiie twell'th edition 

 " Slninus I uihvicianus" ma'jes its appearance from Brisson. Tlie second description is absolutely 

 inaccurate, (" throat black,") and there is no mention of the yellow under parts. As there is a 

 decided priority for the name of magna, therefore, and the description accompanying it is 

 suihciently accurate, while that of ludoviciana is not so, 1 restore the foimer, as used by 

 Wilson and Swainson. 



List of specimens. 



Caul. 

 No. 



8«x. 



1303 

 1613 



7504 



2CS9 

 4Q»4 

 ei90 

 8177 

 8180 

 5687 

 6555 

 »3a7 

 9326 

 9X2S 

 8631 



(? 

 (? 

 Q 

 Q 



<? 

 <? 

 (? 

 <? 



3 

 3 



Locality. 



Carlisle, Pa. 



, (!• , 



, do 



When col- 

 lociud. 



Whence obtained. 



Wasliington, D. 0.... 



, do 



Salem, III 



Racine, Wis 



niinoid 



Calcasieu Pass, La . . 

 Fort Leavenworth.. . 

 Shawnee Mission, K. 

 do 



Mar. 21, 1844 

 Jiino 24, 1844 ! 

 May 20, 1844 

 Winter 



S. F. Baird . 



do.... 



do 



April 7. 



Mar. — , 1844 



1854 



July 12, 1857 

 T. July 3,1857 

 ...do 



East of Fort Riley, K. 



Fort Riley, K. T 



Loup Fork , 



.do.. 



do 



Fort Thorn . 



lo , 



Wdi. Ilutlon , 



N. W. University. 



do , 



S. F. Baird 



G. WUrdeniann .. 

 W. M. Magraw.. 



do 



June 13, 1856 



July 



Aug. 13. 



do 



Lieut. Bryan... 



Dr. H.immond . 



Lieut. Warren. 

 do 



do 



Dr. Henry. 



Orig. 

 No. 



126 



113 



116 



5 



Collected by— i Length. 



Stretch 

 of wings 



R. Kcnnicott. . 

 do 



10.58 

 9.75 

 9.00 

 7.25 



Dr. Cooper. . 



do 



do 



W. S. Wood . 



Dr. Qaydcn . 

 do 



.do., 



9.73 

 10.25 

 10.00 



10.35 

 10.00 

 9.75 



16.08 

 15.50 

 14.50 

 14.00 



16.00 

 15.35 



16.00 

 15.50 

 15.75 



Wing. 



Remarks. 



4.91 

 4.66 

 4.41 

 4.58 



4.75 

 4.87 

 4.75 



Peel brown. 

 Feet flesh... 

 do 



5.00 Iris dark brown . 

 4.50 I Iris light yellow. 

 4.75 ' Iris dark brown. 



STURNELLA NEGLECTA, Aud. 



Western I^ark. 



Slurnilla negUcta, Aud. Birds Amer. VII, 1843, .139 ; pi. 487.— Newberuy, Zool. Cal. & Or. Rovite ; Rep. P. H. R. 



Surv. VI, IV, 1857, 86. 

 ?Stumelta hippocrepis, )Waoner,) Heermann, J. A. N. Sc. Ph. 2d series, II, 1853, 269, Suisun. 



Sp. Ch.— Feathers above dark brown, margined willi brownish white, with a terminal l)!otch of pnle reddish brown. Exposed 

 portion of wings and tail with transverse bands, which, in the latter, are completely isolated from each other, narrow and 

 linear. Beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent. The yellow of the throat extending on the side of the maxilla. Sides, 

 crissura, and tibia very pale reddish brown, or nearly white, streaked with blackish. Head with a light median and superciliary 

 stripe, the latter yellow in front of the eye ; a blackish line behind it. Tlio transverse bars on the feathers above (less so on the 

 tail) with a tendency to become confluent near the exterior margin. Length, 10 inches ; wing, 5.25 ; tail, 3.25 ; bill, 1.25. 



//aft— Western America from High Central Plains to the Pacific ; east to Pembina, and perhaps to Wisconsin. 



This species is so very closely related to the S. magna as to render it very difficult to 

 distinguish them. The same description as to pattern, colors, size, &c., will apply almost 

 equally well to both. The prevailing shade of color is, however, decidedly paler in neglecta, 

 the light margins to the feathers being purer, the intervals of the dark markings being not 

 reddish brown so much as olivaceous, with a faint trace only of chestnut. As a general rule 

 where the dark brown in S. magna margins the shaft of the feather and sends off angular 

 dentations towards the exterior, in S. neglecta it is thrown into separate narrow transverse 

 bauds going entirely across, and not connected by brown along the shafts. This is most 

 June 25, 1858. 



08 b 



