THE MEADOW LARK. 243 



marked with specks, and several large blotches of reddish 

 brown, chiefly at the thick end. Their food consists of 

 caterpillars, grub-worms, beetles, and grass seeds ; with a 

 considerable proportion of gravel. Their general name is 

 the Meadow Lark ; among the Virginians they are usually 

 called the Old Field Lark. 



The length of this bird is ten inches and a half) extent 

 sixteen and a half; throat, breast, belly, and line from the 

 eye to the nostrils, rich yellow ; inside lining znd edge of 

 the wing the same ; an oblong crescent, of deep velvetty 

 black, ornaments the lower part of the thro-at ; lesser wing- 

 eoverts black, broadly bordered with pafe ash ; rest of the 

 wing feathers light brown, handsomelyserrated with black; 

 a line of yellowish white divides tb? crown, bounded on 

 each side by a stripe of black intermixed with bay, and 

 another line of yellowish white passes over each eye back- 

 wards ; cheeks bluish white, back and rest of the upper 

 parts beautifully variegated with black, bright bay, and 

 pale ochre ; tail wedged, the feathers neatly pointed, the 

 four outer ones on each side, nearly all white ; sides, thighs, 

 and vent pale yellow ochre, streaked with black ; upper 

 mandible, brown, Wer, bluish white ; eyelids furnished 

 with strong black tairs ; legs and feet very large, and of a 

 pale flesh color. 



