IU,A< KltlKIS, |;|..i.i 205 



The nesting aeaaon is H short one, and in .Inly voting ntnl M liegin 

 to path, r in fl.N-ks in tin- marshes, where later they will IK- fnuml, in 

 countless numbers, feeding on the wild rice. 



408b. A. p. bryanti /.'//./. Ft<>iiii>A KM>WIMI. Similar t<> the 

 preceding, but smaller, the Mil much mi 'ft- nlriK li-r; 9 with the innler parts 

 .adly streaked with black. W., 370; T., 3-50; H., .-; depth of bill 

 at nostril, -M. 



Rang*. Florida and Uio Bahama*. 



601. Sturnella magnjb < 1.-"". . Mi \I-OWI.AKK ; KIU.I. I.AKK 

 in tummrr. I'tv\ ail'iin: color nf tin- upper part** Muck, tlu: crown with a buffy 

 line through the center, tin- l>ack lHiril<T<-<l un<l tip|x>il with rut'ouH and buffy ; 

 outer luil-teutlii r- iii-.-tly \\ hit.-, middle ones with iiiij-i-ri'i-.-t, ..nn.-.-tfd barn, 

 mot reach inn thv i>utT ^\^ ( tin- truthi-r; liiu- from tin- l>ill ovt-r the eye 

 yellow; mdua of tin- thmut un-1 fiir-o>\i-rt.-. whitish; tlmmt, l>-tw-i-n tlie 

 lower branch <>f tin- im-li-r inaiulililc, lin-itt, uiul miiUllf of the upjKT belly 

 br'nrht yellow; a bhu-k ercticcnt on the brvaat; >i.l.-- aii<l l<nvcr U-lly wliitixh, 

 potted or streaked with black. WiuUr plumage. Kratln i> ail much more 

 Miur^im-d, the ptwrailiBfeelor of tiM upper purts rut*<>us-brown; black 

 breast crescent veiled with butty ; yellow of under parts duller. L., 1075; 

 78 ; T., 3-16 ; B., I-*). 



Rtmark*. ThU bird \ to U- distii)L;ui.-hi-(l fnun the western opecies by 

 its much darki-r upjHT parts, by tlie im]>ert'iM-t. emiriiient tail -burn, and more 

 especially by the absence of yellow on the *./.< of the throat. 



K'inyf. Enstern North America; breeiU from the (iulf t-. New Rnmswiek 

 and Miniu.-'tu; winters from Mtissai-liusctts an<l Illinois >oiit)iwur<l. 



Washitiirtoti, common I'. II.. less mmn in winter. Sinif Sin^'. tolerably 



common S. I:.. F. K. L'" t.. Nov. _>; ; u f c w winter. t'umbr'hL'e, com n S. R., 



not common W. V. 



::L-VS,-S, frequently arched, <m the irnnind. KKJ*, four to six, 

 white, spotted or spit- k led with cinnamon or reddish brown, M.~> x '80. 



In walking tlm-iiu'li tfra^sy fields, meadows, or marshes, we some- 

 tlu-h nit her lari;*'. hmwnNh hirds. which, alternately flafipinp 

 and sailing, scale away with a flight that i (Quail's. Their 



white outer tail-feathers show cniis|iiiMn>u>lr. and if. instead <>f return- 

 ing to the ground, tlu-y alight <>n a fence or the outer branch of a tree, 

 as they utter a nasal prent, they will nervously flit their tails, display- 

 ing the same white feathers. 



When in an cx|x>scd |>iti>n they are wary and difficult to ap- 

 proach, but when walking aUuit on the ground they trust to the long 

 grants f<>r protection, and sometimes do not take wing until one is 

 within a few feet of them. 



In Cuba I noticed that a Meadowlark, closely related to ours, was 

 rerjr careful to conceal its brightly colored breast, with its distinctly 

 marked crescent, and, although even perching birda Were not shy, they 



