888 REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



originally occupied as early or earlier than they are further southward, 

 where they are only rare migrants. And the small numbers that pass 

 in the spring cannot be compared to the multitudes found breeding 

 northward. In the southern portion of the State, the following will 

 give the earliest and latest dates in a series of years when the first 

 Bobolink was seen in spring: Bicknell, April 28, 1896; May 3, 1894 

 and 1897; Bloomington, April 17, 1885, May 6, 1882 and 1888; Brook- 

 ville, April 6, 1890 (the earliest record for the State), and May 5, 

 1881; Moore's Hill, April 23, 1893, April 27, 1888; Greensburg, April 

 26, 1896, May 8, 1895; Terre Haute, May 3, 1890, May 13, 1889. In 

 the southern part of northern Indiana they appear a little later, from 

 May 2 to 11. 



At Muncie they were first seen May 6, 1893, and May 11, 1890; 

 Lafayette, May 5, 1890; May 7, 1892; Red Key, May 2, 1895; North 

 Manchester, May 3, 1896. Farther north, where they breed com- 

 monly, they are usually first seen between April 26 and May 5, most 

 always by May 9; Lake County, April 27, 1887; May 8, 1889; Dekalb 

 County, April 27, 1896; May 9, 1889; Laporte, April 27, 1894; Wayne 

 County, Mich., April 26, 1896; April 27, 1892, and 1893; Petersburg, 

 Mich., April 28, 1891, May 2, 1886, 1889, 1892 and 1893. 



The males usually precede the females l^y from two days to two 

 weeks. The crowning glory of prairie life in the spring is the lively 

 antics, the ardent courtships and, above all, the beautiful music of the 

 Bobolink, whether on the ground, in a treetop or in midair, his sweet 

 song comes to us with the perfume of early clover blossoms. 

 These remain twin impressions, indelibly impressed upon one's mind. 

 The wife builds her -nest of straws, grasses and weeds, on the ground, 

 usually in a depression, but sometimes in a tuft of grass, and there 

 assumes the duties of incubation and the care of a family. The hus- 

 band is the stylish and attractive member of the family. "She broods 

 in the grass while her husband sings." The female Bobolink in spring, 

 and both sexes and young in fall, are a puzzle to young students of 

 birds. The male he can readily determine, but the sparrow-like dress 

 of the female in the spring, and of both adults and young in the fall, 

 cause him much perplexity. Fresh eggs are usually to be found from 

 May 20 to June 5. Between June 15 and July 5, the nests usually 

 contain young. The males keep up their singing until the beginning 

 of July, and then suddenly stop, change their dress to that of the fe- 

 male and become songless. Only a metallic click is then uttered. I 

 have found them in full song at Eagle Lake as late as July 4. It is 

 generally thought they leave about July 20. While a few may start 

 upon their return journey then, the greater number seek good feed- 



