MEADOWLARKS (Sturnella magna and 
Sturnella neglecta) 
Length, about 1034 inches. 
Range: Breed generally in the United States, 
southern Canada, and Mexico to Costa Rica; 
winter from the Ohio and Potomac valleys 
and British Columbia southward. 
Habits and economic status: Our two mead 
owlarks, though differing much in song, resem 
ble each other closely in plumage and _ habits. 
Grassy plains and uplands covered with a thick 
growth of grass or weeds, with near-by water, 
furnish the conditions best suited to the mead- 
owlark’s taste. The song of the western bird 
is loud, clear, and melodious. ‘That of its east 
ern relative is feebler and loses much by com 
parison. In many localities the meadowlark is 
classed and shot as a game bird. From the 
farmer's standpoint this is a mistalse, since its 
value as an insect eater is far greater than as 
an object of pursuit by the sportsman. Both 
the boll weevil, the foe of the cotton grower, 
and the alfalfa weevil are among the beetles it 
habitually eats, Twenty-five per cent of the 
diet of this bird is beetles, half of which are 
predaceous ground beetles, accounted useful 
insects, and one-fifth destructive weevils. 
Caterpillars form 11 per cent of the food and 
are eaten in every month in the year. Among 
these are many cutworms and the well-known 
army worm. Grasshoppers are favorite food 
and are eaten in every month and almost every 
day. The vegetable food (24 per cent of the 
whole) consists of grain and weed seeds. 
are 
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius 
phoeniceus) 
Leneth, about 9 inches. 
Range: Breeds in Mexico and North Amer- 
ica south of the Barren Grounds: winters in 
southern half of United States and south to 
Costa Rica. 
Habits and economic status: The prairies of 
the upper Mississippi Valley, with their numer 
ous sloughs and ponds, furnish ideal nesting 
places for redwings, and cor sequently this re 
gion has become the great breeding ground for 
the species. These prairies pour forth the vast 
flocks that play havoe with QT: in fields ast 
of the Appalachian Range, marshes on the 
shores of lake S, rive rs, and estuaries are the 
only available breeding sites and, as these are 
comparatively few and small, the species is 
much less abundant than in the West Red 
wings are eminently gregarious, living in floc] 
and breeding in communities. The food of the 
redwing consists of 27 per cent animal matter 
and 73 per cent vegetable. Insects constitute 
practically one-fourth of the food. Beetles 
(largely weevils, a most harmful group) 
amount to 10 per cent. Grasshoppers are eaten 
in every month and amount to about 5 per 
cent. Caterpillars (among them the injurious 
army worm) are eaten at all seasons and ag 
gregate 6 per cent. Ants, wasps, bugs, flies 
dragonflies, and spiders also are eaten. The 
vegetable food consists of including 
grain, of which oats is the favorite, and 
small fruits. When in large flocks this bird is 
Some 
capable of doing great harm to grain. 
p 
THE SLACKER OF BIRDDOM EXPOSED 
This is a picture of the nest of Mr. and Mr Yellow-breasted Chat. and tl 
the eggs belong to the lady of the house; but she has been imposed | abse 
made the victim of the indolence of her nei r, Mrs. Cowbird : 
Chat nest for Mrs. Chat to incubate witl vn Mr ( ‘ ‘ 
sibility of bringing up her offspring, is probab! ndulgi : é I 
sitic habit is a characteristic of the cowbird The darker cert the lie ‘ 
