170 NOHTII AMi:i!I('AX HIItDS. 



In Xcw iMi^'liiiiil tliL'so l»inls iiiati! duriiij,' the liittor pint nf A])nl, and 

 cuiislniut tlicir nests in Miiy. 'I'liey ahvuvs pliifu tlutir nest on tliu j^ioiind, 

 usually in IIk; slicltcr ul' ii tliicU tuft of j^niiss, and liuild a covered ])assa}^o 

 to their liiddeu nest. This entrance is usually t'ornied of withered j,n'ass, 

 and so well conceals the nest that it can only he detected l)y Ihisliinji; the 

 female from it, or hy the anxiety of her mate, who will frec^uently ily round 

 the s]iot in so narrow a circuit as to hctrfiy its location. 



Tlu^ e,L,'j;s of the Meadow Lark \arv j^ieatly in sizt; and also in their mark- 

 ings, though the general cliaracter of the latter is the same. The smallest, 

 from Florida, measure .'J5 hy .(J8 of an inch. The larg(^st, from Massachu- 

 setts, measure l.l'll inches by .!)(>. They liave a wliit(! ground, marked and 

 dotted with irrcgidar reddish-lirown s])ots. (Iiinerally thc.s(! are e(|ually 

 distril)Utcd, but occasionally aie chielly about the larger end. Their Mha])e 

 is o\al, nearly equally rounded at cither end. 



The diversity in the characteristics of the eggs of this species has not un- 

 fretiuently occasioned remarks, and t^ven suggested conjectures as to specific 

 (lillerenccs. Tiuty are all, however, reconcilable with dilferences in the age 

 of the parents, and are, to some extent, affected by the circumstances under 

 which tlu'y are deposiUnl. The eggs of old, inatur(! birds, lU'iiositetl in the 

 early summer, or the first brood, are usually su'i-globular or obt\isely jjointed 

 at either end, large in si/e, and irrcyularly .siirinkled over with fine bright 

 red dots. Younger birds, breeding for the lir.st time, l)irds that have been 

 robbed of their eggs, or those depositing a third set, have smaller eggs, some- 

 times two thirds of tlie maximum size, more oblong and more jiointed at one 

 end, anil are marked, at the larger end only, with plashes of dark purplish- 

 brown. 



Stumella magna, var. neglecta, Am. 



WESTERN LABK. 



SturncUa nc^hcta, Ai'ii. Birds Am. VII, 1843, 339, pi. (•(•trl.xxxvii. — Nkwrkruy, Zool. 

 Cal. & Or. Itoiite; Hc|.. P. 1{. I{. Suiv. VI, iv, 18,57, S(i. — BAini), Birds N. Am. 



1858, 537. — Hi;i-.i;.M. X, -S 54. -V -.w k SrcKr.KV, 208. - ('((OPi-,ii, Oni. Cal. 1, 



1870, 270. 1 SluriiMa hippocrepix, (W.viiLKU,) IIkkr.mann, .1. .\. N. Sc. Ph. 2(1 .serie.s, 

 II, 1853, 2'J!t, Suisiin. 



Hi". CiiAK. Feathers above; dark lirown, marrrincil with lirDWiiisii-whilc, witli a tcr- 

 niiiial lilotc!- of pale ru(l(lisli-l)rciwii. E.xpo.si'd portion of wiiius and tail wilii ti'aiisvcr.'so 

 banils. wliii-ii, in tlu; latter, are completely i.solated I'roui each other, luirrow and lili(>ar. 

 Beneath yellov, with a black p(;etoral crescent. The vellow of the throat exleiidinp: on 

 the sides of the maxilla. Sides, orissntn. and tibia' very pale reddish-lirown, or nearly 

 white, streaked with hlaeki.sh. Head with a lifrlit median and superciliary strijie, the 

 latter yellow in front of the eye ; a blaeki,«h lino behind it. Tlu! transverse bars on the 

 leatlieis above (less so on the tail) with a tendency to become eonflnent near the exterior 

 niaririn. I.,en.Lrih, 10 inches; winjjr, .").2') ; tail, .'J.'J.") ; bill, 1.2."). 



IIab. Western America from hijfh Central Plains to the Pacilic ; east to Pembina, 

 and perhaps to Wiscouvin, on the north (low.i, Allen), and Texas on the sonlh; western 

 Mexico, south to Colima. 



