LIST AND DESCRIPTION 107 
and of the willow bordered river. It nests commonly over the 
State, and, being one of the Starlings, all of which are weavers, 
it fastens its nest securely among the rushes. Early in the fall 
these birds gather in large flocks before migrating southward. 
498d. THICK-BILLED REDWING (A gelaius Phoeniceus fortis.) 
Similar in plumage to the preceding but larger, with bill 
shorter and thicker. Breeds in Western Canada. Seen in South 
Dakota only in migration. This is the Blackbird observed feed- 
ing in large flocks early in winter. Small flocks have been seen 
in Clay County in January. 
501. 1. Western Mrapow ark (Sturnella neglecta.) 
There are two species of Meadowlarks in the Northern 
States, the Eastern (Sturnella magna) and the Western (Sturnella 
neglecta). In our latitude the eastern State line of South 
Dakota is about the dividing line of the range of the two species. 
For a considerable distance east or west of this line there is much 
overlapping of their range and perhaps interbreeding, producing 
intermediates. Some believe that the range of the western 
form is gradually extending eastward. It is also smaller 
+han the eastern form. There is a wide difference in the song 
notes of the two species, and some evidence to justify the sug- 
gestion that there may be a variation, both in song and tone, 
between those west of the Missouri River and the intermediates 
of the eastern part of the State. 
Those west of the Missouri River are all Sturnella nealecia, 
and doubtless all those east of central Iowa are Sturnella magna. 
As far as known no true type of the Eastern Meadowlark has 
been taken in South Dakota. 
The song of this bird is a wonderfully exuberant expres- 
sion of bird music. It may he heard for half a mile and fairly 
fills the prairie. There is not room enough for it anywhere else. 
The singer is sure of his audience and is thrilled and inspired 
by his surroundings. The songs and calls are exceedingly varied, 
but the rapturous love song, rendered in full flight, is Nature in 
her most ecstatic mood, and nowhere is the song finer than in 
South Dakota. 
The home of the Western Meadowlark is on the prairies 
or in open meadows. As noted elsewhere in this bulletin, the 
