20. STUENELLA. 359 



Sturnella meridionalis, ScL Ibis, 1861, p. 179; id. Cat A B -o 139- 

 Sd. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 167 (Venezuela) ; Pek. Orn Bras 

 p. 108 (Rio Brancho) ; Cassin, Pr. Ac. Sc. Phil. 1866, p. 24. 



Sturnella magna, var. meridionalis, Baird, Bretv., et Ridnw. NAB 

 ii. p. 172 ; Cones, B. N.-W. p. 191. ■ • • 



Sturnella ludovieiana meridionalis, Sd. Ibis, 1884, p. 26. 



Lousiane Stare, Lath. G. H. v. p. 6. 



Above brown, variegated with black and pale bufF; head blackish, 

 with a distinct median stripe and snperciliaries pale buff; the 

 superciliaries in front of the eye and bend of the wing yellow: 

 below bright yellow, with a well-defined black gorget more or less 

 enlarged on the middle of the breast ; flanks and crissum pale buff 

 striated with bhick ; under wing-coverts white ; bill horn-colonr, 

 paler at the tip ; feet clear brown : whole length 9 inches, wing 

 4-5, tail 3. Female similar, but smaller and not quite so bright. 



^aJ. Grassy plains of America, from the Saskatchewan down to 

 Colombia and Guiana ; also Cuba. 



The "Meadow-Lark," as the Americans call the Sturnella, 

 occupies an extensive range in the New Yv^orld, occurring wherever 

 prairies or such-like open spaces suitable to its terrestrial habits are 

 met with, from the Dominion of Canada down to Colombia and 

 Guiana. It has been divided into five subspecies, amongst which 

 many less niarked and mere local varieties are to be found. But 

 so much individual variation occurs that it would be very difficult, if 

 not in impossible in some cases, to refer specimens to their correct 

 subspecies without previous knowledge of their locality. 



The five subspecies under which I have arranged the Sturnella 

 are : — 



1. Subsp. tiipica, of the Eastern United States. Generally the 

 largest form, and with a wide black tbroat-gorget. 



2. Subsp. ner/lecta, of the Western United States and Canadian 

 North-west. Very nearly similar, but generally paler, and said to be 

 different in habits and song. 



3. Subsp. jnexicana, of Mexico and Central America down to 

 Veragua. Smaller, and with the black throat-gorget narrow. 



4. Subsp. hijjpocrepis, from Cuba; like St^. mexicanu, but still 

 smaller. 



5. Subsp. meridionalis, from Colombia and Guiana. Almost as 

 large as St. magna typica, but with a narrow throat-gorget and 

 shorter wings, 



a. Subsp. ttjpica. 



a. Ad. St. N. America. Hardwicke Bequest 



h. Jr. St. N. America. J. Gould, Esq. 



c Ad. sk. Washington, D.C. (Falh). Salvin-Godman Coll 



d. S ad. sk. District of Colombia {Bean). U. S Nat Mus fP 1 



e. Ad. sk. New York (Koebele). U. S. Nat. Mus' fp 1 

 /. Ad. sk. IlliDois, U. S. A. (Peed). Salvin-Godman Coll 

 ff. Ad. sk. Illinois, U. S. A. (Coale). P.B.SIiaipe,E*q FP 1 

 /(. Ad. sk. South Chicago, III, U. S. A. Il.B.Sharpe.Esq fP 1 



{Coale). ^ ' ^■L^'-'' 



i. Ad. sk. United States {Bell). Sclater Coll. 



