MEADOW LARK 389 



picking the blossoms from the cherry trees and, to some extent, 

 from the plum. The object of these depredations is to secure the 

 young ovary from the blossom. In plucking the latter, it is 

 seized by the calyx tube, wrenched from its pedicle, and cut into 

 in the region of the ovary. The bird sometimes secures the latter 

 organ and sometimes not. Not infrequently trees in Corvallis 

 are fairly stripped by these birds. During the summer and fall 

 they feed upon seeds of wild mustard, rape, cabbage, and aspara- 

 gus. In winter they may be found around apple orchards, feeding 

 on the seeds of apples which have fallen to the ground and decayed. 

 In the spring they feed extensively on the seed of chickweed. I 

 believe that they destroy enough of the seeds of noxious cruciferse 

 and other weedy plants to more than make recompense for the 

 damage they do to the fruit trees. They nest hi June." 



The Scarlet Tanager. This beautiful bird and excellent song- 

 ster is found not only in parts of the South, but is fairly common 

 throughout New England and the eastern states, ranging west 

 beyond the Mississippi. The author has found it common in the 

 hemlock woods of Maine, among the deciduous groves of Massa- 

 chusetts, and in the agricultural portions of Minnesota. Its food 

 is almost entirely insectivorous, and hence it is entitled to recog- 

 nition as a useful bird. The male is scarlet, with black wings and 

 tail; the female, various shades of yellowish olive. 



Meadow Lark (Plate 3, Fig. 14) . The meadow lark is common 

 from the Atlantic to the great plains, and a variety extends west- 

 ward from the plains to the Pacific coast. It is an inhabitant of 

 both prairie land and fields in districts more or less wooded. 

 While not a fine songster, in the opinion of many it adds much 

 to our enjoyment. 



The color of the upper parts is a mingling of black, whitish, 

 and chestnut. It is darker on the head; and a light streak runs 

 back from the bill. The side of the head is light, showing a yellow 

 streak over and in front of the eye. The chin, throat, and breast 

 are bright yellow. A jet-black collar or cravat is on the breast, 

 hi the form of a crescent. All but the central tail feathers show 

 considerable white. The length is ten to eleven inches. It nests 

 upon the ground. 



Analyses of stomach contents give interesting results: Two 

 hundred and thirty-eight stomachs examined contained seventy- 

 three per cent animal matter and twenty-seven per cent vegetable, 

 the latter being found in the winter. The animal food consisted 



